Image: L. Gomes / PML / Griffin Security providing assistance to someone in the downtown area.

By Laurice Gomes

Community

Chilliwack guards want to keep city’s vulnerable safe and hydrated during heat wave

Jul 26, 2022 | 1:38 PM

CHILLIWACK — A heat wave warning for most of B.C., issued by Environment Canada Monday morning (July 25), has prompted many local agencies to ramp up their efforts to keep the community hydrated.

Chilliwack’s Griffin Security trucks can be seen driving around the city, handing out cold bottled water to those without shelter—and to anyone who looks like they might need a helping hand.

Brandon Jurick, a security guard for the agency, explained that while his usual duties entail patrolling downtown Chilliwack to curb loitering or break-ins, the current climate calls for an extra dose of compassion.

In preparation for their shift, two guards loaded the truck with cases of bottled water, ready to scout the area and make their rounds. The goal throughout the week was to spread information about cooling centres while also handing out water to people living on the street.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Cases of water loaded into the Griffin truck for distribution.

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“During the heat wave, there are emergency shelters that are open,” Jurick said, matter-of-factly. “And we have a lot of water that we hand out to every individual, to make sure that they aren’t having a heat stroke or anything else.”

As Jurick and his co-worker, Satwinder, drove through the streets of downtown Chilliwack Monday, they were waved down numerous times by people looking to get water in the 31-degree heat.

Image: L. Gomes / PML / Brandon Jurick, and his colleague, Satwinder, making their rounds Monday afternoon.

A stop was made at the corner of an apartment complex. Some Griffin Security guards were already there and were having a conversation with a woman sitting under a tree for shade.

“On the corner, they’re openly doing drugs out here,” explained Kabir, a guard for Griffin. “Even by hiding, everyone knows what they’re doing, and it could influence young people.”

On a nearby bench, a man sat under the beating sun. While he didn’t request any water, the guards offered, and he immediately accepted with gratitude.

The man, named George, smiled while he chatted and said he didn’t currently have a home but was working on it.

Exercising extra caution and vigilance this week, the guards said, for the most part, interactions are pleasant. But challenges can set in when other variables come into play.

“Most of the time they feel thankful,” said Kabir, in reference to the bottled water being handed out. “However, when they’re high, some become aggressive, saying, ‘I don’t want it because you’re a brown.'”

Jurick said with temperatures reaching as much as 37 degrees this week, the team is determined to make the safety of anyone experiencing homelessness a top priority.

“Usually there’s a lot of heatstroke and that’s why we’re going above and beyond to make sure that we have a lot of water to give out,” Jurick remarked. “So, it doesn’t get to that point, so they’re all hydrated.”