Nose Mountain helicopter crash victim remembered
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One year after firefighter Darcy Moses was killed in a helicopter crash while protecting Alberta’s forests, his family marked the anniversary on the remote northeastern Alberta mountain where he died.
The firefighter’s mother, Margaret Moses, and his two-year-old son, Wyatt, were among 11 family members who made the two-hour trip from Grande Prairie to the Nose Mountain Lookout Tower on July 3.
The trip gave family members their first opportunity to view a memorial to Moses, a plaque mounted on a large stone near the lookout tower. Poor weather last fall prevented an earlier viewing.
Moses, who lived in Valleyview, died in a helicopter crash on Nose Mountain on July 3, 2006 while fighting a wildfire southeast of Grande Prairie. Wildfire Ranger Robert Anderson of Grande Prairie lost his left arm above the elbow and his left leg below the knee as a result of the accident.
The trip for the Moses family was arranged by staff at Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, the government department responsible for forest protection. The family spent about five hours at the site and placed a picture of Moses by the plaque.
Such tributes play a role in helping families to heal and also show how much the Alberta government values firefighters, says Smoky Area Forestry Manager Don Cousins. “It’s very important not only for the firefighters in this region, but for all of the firefighters across the province to realize they as individuals and their work are highly valued.”
A tribute to Moses is also planned by the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Ottawa on September 9, 2007.
Cousins said the July 3 anniversary trip and the September tribute will represent a closure for him and many others involved in the Alberta government’s wildfire operations. “In some sense, it will be time for us to carry on, but we'll never forget him.”
Anderson, who survived the July 3 crash, spent the anniversary quietly with family in Edmonton. He returned to work with the Alberta government in Grande Prairie in January.
“My goal for the next year is to build my endurance,” says Anderson. He recently began to walk to work and spends six to eight hours a day out of his wheelchair. “I’m working steadily to improve on that.”
Anderson has also become a board member for the recently formed Northern Alberta Amputee Program, which aims to improve the quality of life and care for amputees.
For Cousins and many others involved in firefighting operations, the July accident and Anderson’s positive attitude only strengthen their respect for co-workers. “I’ve always had an appreciation for what the people I work with go through,” says Cousins. “I have even more now.”
