Firefighters 10 Mile Road Race

May 19, 2008 - Thunder Bay

75th Anniversary

March 13, 2008 - Windsor:  George Copeland, a 15 year veteran of Windsor Fire and Rescue, suffered a serious spinal cord injury as the result of a tragic motor vehicle accident on March 2, 2007 while en route to an alarm.  As a result of his injury, George's brother and sister firefighters have undertaken to build him a new, fully accessible, Energy Star rated home with the cooperation of the Greater Windsor Home Builders Association and Windsor Fire and Rescue. 

Please consider making a donation to help build George a new home.  Visit George's website www.buildforgeorge.com or click on the flyer below for more information.

The Burlington PFFA held its annual Awards luncheon on February 15.  The highlight of the luncheon was the recognition and induction of the BPFFA's newest and youngest member:  9 year old Sabrina Wedlake.

Sabrina Wedlake was honoured for saving her father after he had fallen into a diabetic coma.  Sabrina had learned from firefighters that when an emergency occurs, you should call 911 and remain calm.  Sabrina did just that.  When firefighters and paramedics arrived minutes later, she again passed on the much needed life saving information so that her father would live.  Derek Baranowski, co-chair of the event, presented Sabrina with a plaque, gift certificate, red roses and a helmet to induct her into the Burlington firefighter family.  Sabrina's smile lit up the room.

The Burlington PFFA also raised $18,000 in 15 minutes at the recent Carpenter hospice gala and presented a cheque for $15,000 to Don Scott, CEO of Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital.  Local 1552 President Dan Vanderlelie expressed his thanks and appreciation to his members for their ongoing generosity to the local community.

February 28, 2008 - Toronto:  Colon Cancer Canada kicked off its Colon Cancer Awareness campaign in Toronto with the support of both the OPFFA and the Toronto PFFA.  March is colon cancer awareness month and firefighters are more prone to contract colon cancer due to the number of toxins that burn in fires.  Paul Atkinson, a member of the OPFFA's Occupational Disease Committee and Kevin Ashfield of the Toronto PFFA were on hand along with several Toronto firefighters to make people aware that screening and early detection of colon cancer can save lives.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of both male and female cancer-related deaths in Canada.  This year alone, over 20,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with colon cancer.  Although this is a startling statistic, even more startling is the fact that almost 50% of those diagnosed will die. This even though colon cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer.  If caught early, over 95% of these cases could and should result in a full recovery.

An Information Bulletin has been developed to provide an opportunity to review key points from the updated Do Not Resuscitate Confirmation Form (DNRC). This form directs the practice of paramedics and firefighters after February 1, 2008 in situations where a DNR order is part of a patient's treatment plan. Supplemental FAQs for Do Not Resuscitate Confirmation Form have also been added - check the documents listing at the bottom of this article.

Enquiries about the Information Bulletin should be directed to Gay Saunders, Office of the Fire Marshal. She can be reached at 416-325-3100 or by email at Gay.Saunders@ontario.ca

Oakville:  The Zonta Club of Oakville recently held their "Winter Elegance" fundraiser and Oakville firefighters played an instrumental role in helping the group reach their target.  Local 1582 President Carmen Santoro received personal thanks from Zonta Club President Cherie Duvall.  The event grossed nearly $50,000 and the funds will be used to assist women victims of domestic violence throughout the Halton Region.  President Duvall stated "without the firefighters being present we would not have been able to raise the funds to help women and children affected by violence within their homes.  We could not have achieved this without your support!"  Congratulations to Local 1582 on a job well done.

To assist fire departments in meeting their obligations under the OH&S Act, CSA has worked in collaboration with members of the Ontario Fire Service, Office of the Fire Marshal and the Fire Service Section 21 Committee to develop this one-day seminar.  Click here for information regarding the dates and locations of this seminar and a pdf brochure.

November 8, 2007 – The Ontario Professional Fire fighters Association made a presentation on October 31, 2007 to the Expert Commission on Pensions.

The Commission that was established by the Ministry of Finance is conducting this review with the intent of providing guidance on any necessary amendments to the Pension Benefits Act.

Click here for more information about the Expert Commission.

For a copy of the OPFFA’s submission please click on the download below.

Click here for a copy of the OMERS submission.

Timmins (October 28th):  Local 535 has made six year Sylvain Noel the newest member of the Timmins Fire Service.  Sylvain has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour and the Timmins Local, led by President Ellard Beaven, undertook a fundraising campaign to support the family while their son was being treated.  This past weekend, Sylvain was presented with a plaque and a fire helmet by the Timmins local.  Sylvain's uncle, Marc Thibault, is a firefighter and President of Local 1343 (Nelson, BC).  Below are letters from Marc Thibault to IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger and from the Noel family.  The OPFFA congratulates Local 535 for their support and comfort of Sylvain and for all the great charitable work firefighters undertake on behalf of the community.

Letter to IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger from Marc Thibault (Sylvain's Uncle), President Local 1343 (Nelson, British Columbia):

October 19, 2007

Dear President Schaitberger

Picture this:  Shortly after you lose your father to cancer, your 6 yr old son develops a brain tumour.  You live in Timmins (Northern Ontario), a community with limited cancer treatment options.  The treatment center is an 8 hour drive away and you end up making an untold number of trips there for assessments, (failed) operations, and increasingly intensive treatments.  Your son, in the meantime, is losing his ability to move, communicate, and ultimately to care for himself.  Obviously, you quit your job to tend to your youngest.  Every hope the doctors offer turns into disappointment as the tumour continues to grow.  After a few years of this, your husband, now the sole breadwinner, is temporarily laid off while medical bills and transportation needs increase.

It was difficult for me to hear of my sister-in-law’s situation and to be unable to help her out as I’d like.  Living 3200 kms away, I felt there was little I could do.  You can imagine my feelings of relief and pride to hear that my brothers in Timmins Local 535 had stepped up the plate to raise funds for the family (http://new.iaff.org/Comm/Spotlight/07Stories/3807Timmins.htm).  As was reported in the story, the firefighters continued their support by hosting my nephew’s birthday party at the fire hall.

I’m pleased to tell you the help continues to this day:  The firefighters have visited the family both at home and at the Toronto treatment center.  They persuaded their Member of Parliament to rush passport applications to enable a visit to Disneyland.  More recently, upon hearing the family needed to go for yet another round of treatments, Local 535 pulled some magic strings and set my in-laws up with a rather nice place to stay while they were in Toronto.  As stressful as their situation is, it’s always easier when you are able to retreat to a luxury hotel penthouse at the end of the day.  By the time you get this letter, the local will have presented the family with the results of yet more fundraising and will have made my nephew, Sylvain, an honourary member (complete with personalized helmet).

The end of the story will not be a happy one, and it will come rather soon, we expect.  But I wanted my brothers in Timmins, and those throughout the IAFF, to know that by offering a means to make a difficult life a little easier, they affected the life of more than one young boy.  They offered levity and relief to the whole family.

For all of this, I am very thankful to, and very, very proud of the members of Local 535.  We often hear of firefighters helping others, but it seems the Timmins team has raised the bar for many of us and I would like to nominate them for whatever award is suitable for such efforts.

Fraternally and appreciatively,

Marc Thibault

Local 1343 Nelson, B.C

Letter of Thanks from the Noel Family to Timmins Fire Fighters:

October 31, 2007 – Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday announced his Cabinet that will lead the provincial government in the 39^th parliament.

For the OPFFA we will see new ministers in all three primary ministries that we deal with.  The new Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services is the Hon Rick Bartolucci, the new Minister of Labour is the Hon. Brad Duguid and, the new Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the Hon. Jim Watson.

We are fortunate to have well established relationships with all of these Ministers and we look forward to working with them and the entire Executive Council and all MPPs as we move our issues forward.

The OPFFA would like to acknowledge all of the hard work and efforts put forth by our former Ministers:  Minister Kwinter (Community Safety and Corrections), Minister Peters (Labour) and, Minister Gerretsen (Municipal Affairs and Housing).  Saying thank you doesn’t effectively recognize the lasting impact these individuals and the legislation they championed will have on our members and their families.

The OPFFA extends our sincerest congratulations to all members of Cabinet. 

For more information on the members of the new Executive Council click on the following links: