Dawson Creek Kodiaks donate $4,500 for firefighter injured at highway incident

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Dawson Creek Kodiaks have donated $4,500 to support Captain Brooks Gower, a Dawson Creek firefighter suffering multiple traumatic injuries.  

In a Facebook post put up by the Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association on November 28th, the team is seen handing over a cheque. 

Captain Gower was critically injured on October 29th after being struck by a vehicle while responding to a crash on Highway 97 south of Groundbirch. 

Tryna Gower, Captain Gower’s wife, has been giving the community updates about his recovery through reels she posts on Facebook. 

Tryna’s recent reel shows Captain Gower taking his first steps upwards in preparation for home life. 

Both of Captain Gower’s legs were broken in multiple places and titanium rods and bolts have restructured them back together. 

Doctors have told the Gower family the bones will take six months to heal and to expect pain for one year.

The captain also suffered nine broken ribs and five fractured vertebrae. 

The family is back at the Dawson Creek and District Hospital where Brooks is undergoing physiotherapy to walk again. 

When asked what made the Kodiaks donate, Colby Wagar, general manager of the Dawson Creek Kodiaks, told Energeticcity.ca: “The fire department’s a big part of our community. 

“They’re always out there, always supporting everything that everybody does.

“It just felt like the right thing to do is to try to help and support them as much as we could, and that’s what we chose to do.” 

For the donation, the Kodiaks held a fundraiser at one of their home games. 

“We did a 50-50, merchandise and a silent auction. The silent auction had different styles of jerseys from over the past that we’ve had, some of our pink and the rink jerseys,” said Wagar, adding they had few tucked away for a rainy day. 

Tryna shares that they have been overwhelmed by the love and care the team has for her husband.

She told Energeticcity.ca: “We’re just really, really overwhelmed at the outpouring of love from such a young group of people with such great morals and integrity.

“It just showed us the level of compassion of the players and their families from the Dawson Creek community and area.”

When asked if the Kodiaks had a message for Captain Gower, Wagar said: “We were all rooting for him and his family gives updates live, so everybody kind of knows what’s going on. 

“We’re just looking forward to seeing him home and him getting better and his family, taking the next step to recovery.” 

You can also do your bit for Captain Gower by taking part in Judith McPherson’s bake sale. Judith is a Dawson Creek local who is organizing a fundraiser at Poppy and Co on December 6th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.