It takes about three seconds for a carved jack-o-lantern to fall 60 feet.
Campbell River fire fighter Shawn Kotscherofski knew those three seconds quite well by the end of the day on Saturday, Nov. 5, as he had thrown hundreds of carved pumpkins to their smashing demise off the Campbell River Fire Department’s tower truck. The pumpkins’ sacrifice was not in vain, however, as each pumpkin was accompanied by a donation to the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters Association’s Burn Fund.
The event also helped keep the pumpkins out of the landfill, as Upland Excavating was on hand to transport the gourds to the Comox Strathcona Waste Management compost facility in Cumberland, when all was said and done.
The event ran until 2 p.m. on Saturday, and a crowd of excited onlookers gathered around to watch as their halloween decorations came to a splattery end.
“It’s a good way to get the community out,” Kotscherofski said, adding that there are “definitely worse ways to spend a Saturday.”
The event raised $1,873 for the burn fund, and the heaviest pumpkin heaved off the tower was 100 lbs.
RELATED: Let your jack-o-lanterns come to a smashing end on Nov. 5
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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