Lennard Island would likely sport a plaque listing the names of fishermen killed in 25-foot seas if a nearby lighthouse keeper hadn’t seen the boat in trouble and raced to the rescue.

Similarly, Cape Scott in 1999 would have three names listed, had they not been rescued by a light keeper. Then there’s Cape Beale in 2004, with three saved, or Trial Island in March of 2009, when a lighthouse keeper saved three lives.

“Lighthouse keepers save lives and that’s not something new,” said Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser. “They’ve always done it.”