A photo of anonymous well-wishes taped to a Saanich Fire vehicle is making the rounds online, as crews from around the province continue to risk their lives in the fight against B.C.’s wildfires.

Heather Raines snapped a photo of hand-drawn signs taped to the window of a Saanich Fire pickup truck on a BC Ferries sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay Tuesday.

They included messages like “Thank you for keeping our Canada safe & beautiful!” and “We are so very grateful for your hard work!”

The signs appeared to be made by both adults and kids, with some of them drawn in colourful crayon.

“Whoever encouraged those kids to do that are raising some excellent children,” said Raines, who said she spotted the signs while walking back to her vehicle. “This is the kind of encouragement that our firefighters need right now. I think they’re going through a really tough time and these are the kind of kids who are out there, who are recognizing people putting themselves at risk.”

The crew from Saanich was returning home after being dispatched to help out with the wildfire burning in Williams Lake, where thousands of residents were handed an evacuation order more than a week ago.

Raines said she posted the photo to Twitter, where it has already racked up dozens of retweets, so others could feel what she felt.

“I don’t always tweet or put them on Instagram but I thought this is something that deserves to be out there,” she said.

Saanich Deputy Fire Chief Dan Wood said it was a long, hard week for the firefighters sent to Williams Lake, and the signs were a pleasant surprise.

“Guys were certainly taken aback when they got to their vehicle,” he said. “I felt proud. It’s a proud feeling to be part of a department and a community who are truly trying to make a difference.”

The messages have since been posted up on a bulletin board in the Saanich Fire Hall where they can be seen by the entire department.