On the hot day with temperatures over 30°C, McCaffrey said she anticipated the delivery to take no longer than 45 minutes to prevent melting of the cake. However, after an hour an 15 minutes, she began to worry if the driver got the wrong address.
On the phone with her sister, she says they noticed through the app that the driver seemed as though he was parked for a significant amount of time. McCaffrey says she had to quickly hang up the call, however, when she saw a firetruck pull up to her driveway.
Five members from Engine 3, Captain Bob Munn, Lieutenant Adam Erickson, QFO Tyson Cave, and firefighter-paramedics Andrew MacKay, Joseph Schropfer, Wyatt Robinson and Beatrice Prcic, walked to her doorstep holding the cake.
The firefighters explained that the delivery driver got into a minor motor vehicle collision. Ensuring the driver was alright, they said they noticed the birthday cake in the back seat and wanted to complete the delivery.
McCaffrey says the crew’s faces lit up with excitement when they saw Mason come to the door. She says although he is shy and has autism leaving him less expressive, Mason thought the event was “very cool”.
The firefighters asked for a picture with the boy and McCaffrey joked that she was so overwhelmed with the event, she wishes she offered the firefighters a piece of cake.
She says the crew unlocked a core birthday memory for her son that he will never forget.
“I just wanted to tell them that a small act of kindness like that may not have seemed big to them but it made a big difference and it made a little boy’s birthday and I can’t thank them enough for it,” she said.
“They went above and beyond and having that kind of energy out in our community is really important.”
Schaefer said he is proud his crew stepped up and made the right decision for the community.
“It really exemplifies the community mindedness of our crew. Firefighters and EMS [Emergency Medical Services] personnel pride themselves on being part of the community and supporting, not only in times of the bad situations that we get called to, but in the day-to-day and helping support and bring positive things to the community where we can,” he said.
He says the delivery made the crew’s day and was as much of a win for them as it was for the little boy.