Obituary of Cecil John Hyde Barnard

Long time Maple Ridge resident Cec Barnard passed away Saturday, August 15, 2015 at Ridge Meadows Hospital at the age of 93. He was predeceased by his wife Una in 1988, brothers Albert and Norman and sisters Lillian and Mildred. He is survived by his son and wife. Cec joined the BCFP Hammond division fire department in 1948 and served as Deputy Fire Chief at Hammond Cedar until 1960. He later accepted the job as Fire Chief at BCFP Youbou before transferring back to Hammond as Fire Chief in 1967 where he finished the balance of his distinguished 32 year career, retiring in 1982. Cec received a Fire Engineering Degree from the prestigious British (UK) fire service in 1965 graduating with honors. During his tenure as Fire Chief the Hammond and Youbou fire departments’ earned numerous awards and accolades as BCFP earned the reputation of establishing precedent setting Industrial sawmill fire protection standards. The National Fire Protection Association recognized the Hammond division as having one of the top five plant fire departments in North America. Cec was a member of the BC Fire Chiefs’ Association and served as president of the Fraser Valley Fire Fighters’ Association for 3 years. Cec was a long standing Maple Ridge Legion member and will be sadly missed by his many friends. Heartfelt gratitude to his good friend Jim who assisted Cec the past few years enabling him to maintain an independent lifestyle at home. The family would like to express their appreciation to Dr. Chapman for his many years of devoted care and concern which far exceeded his professional responsibilities. There will be no service by request. In lieu of flowers donations to Cec’s favorite charity (The War Amps) would be appreciated. Contact Information: