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October • 2021 The power of positive, solution-based journalism.
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100,000 Volunteer Firefighters Answer the Call in Canada Did you know that the majority of firefighters and fire departments in our country are volunteers? These everyday heroes are individuals trained to the same standard as career firefighters, and they volunteer their services while holding other primary occupations. While volunteer firefighters may receive a modest pay on call or honorarium, it is not a liveable wage. Their reason for volunteering is far nobler—they do it in service of their community’s public health and safety. With a pandemic, climate emergencies, and increasing knowledge of firefighting’s physical and mental health demands, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) wanted to know: how many volunteer firefighters do we have in Canada? To find out, the CAFC launched the Great Canadian Volunteer Firefighter Census. Over 1200 fire departments participated in the Census, representing over a third of the country’s volunteer fire departments. The research estimated the total size of the population of volunteer firefighters in Cana-
da at about 100,000 and found that about 32 percent of the country’s volunteer firefighters are over the age of 50, and about 11 percent are women. The Canadian Fire Service is striving to be more demographically representative. “Anyone with the courage, commitment, and compassion to serve is welcome to take our training and become part of our team,” says Chief Peter Krich of Camrose, Alberta, head of the National Advisory Council of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. “Diversity and Inclusion are essential, and all members of the service understand their importance in our communities.” The fire department’s role has evolved over recent years; beyond putting out fires, today’s fire departments have taken on the increased responsibility of responding to climate disasters, hazardous material incidents, and more. Nearly all volunteer firefighters have some role to play in wildfires, climate emergencies, vehicle extrication, emergency medical response,
and industrial fire response. “Our volunteer firefighters play a significant role in keeping communities safe,” shares Fire Chief Vince MacKenzie of Grand Falls Windsor, Newfoundland, head of the Answer the Call Committee. “That’s why our focus remains on building our network of volunteers and ensuring that they continue to bring their passion to our departments.” These individuals train continuously and are ready to put themselves in dangerous situations if they can keep their communities safe—it’s the kind of job that requires true passion. In service of these everyday heroes, the CAFC is always looking for ways to not only give thanks to their volunteers but is also urging the federal government to prepare for the next generation. This includes incentives like the Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit and a federal Joint Emergency Preparedness Program to make sure they can cover training and equipment for all types of fires in all types of departments.
“Being a volunteer firefighter in one of Canada’s fire departments isn’t something you do; it’s something you are,” says Fire Chief and CAFC President John McKearney of Whistler, British Columbia. “Our volunteers are heroes, and their contributions are incredibly valuable to their communities.” CAFC has a vital program called Answer the Call, which helps fire departments recruit volunteer firefighters. If you have a desire to contribute to keep your community safe or want to become a career firefighter, you should consider being a volunteer firefighter. Specific qualifications and train-
ing regulations vary by province, and volunteer firefighters are expected to train a certain amount of hours per month with their colleagues. Volunteering is also one of the best ways to get the necessary training and experience to be an attractive candidate for a career firefighting position. Many volunteer firefighters achieve other careers as well, as first responder life skills become significant assets to many professions inside and outside of emergency services.
“We believe that in a postCOVID North America, Halloween is primed for a reset,” Rich said. “We believe homes and entire streets can rally to practice Treat Accessibly at Halloween.” The Treat Accessibly lawn signs are free of charge and available through participating RE/ MAX offices in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic regions. The signs are also available at Kinder grocery stores in Ontario, the Atlantic provinces, and Quebec. Or, you can create your
own sign using the design on the website, which is available in both English and French.
There are so many great reasons to Answer the Call and become a volunteer firefighter. Find out more at cafc.ca
ALLIE MURRAY
As October 31st approaches every year, there comes a chill of excitement in the air. From preparing costumes to making plans with friends to, of course, trick-ortreating, Halloween brings so much fun to be had. However, for children using a wheelchair, the evening can be more of a trick than a treat. One Ontario family recognized a need for change and began a movement to make Halloween accessible to everyone. “In 2017, a week before Halloween, I was putting pumpkins on my stairs to my front door. I looked across the street and saw a little boy using a wheelchair. It hit me like a ton of bricks that he wouldn’t be able to trick-or-treat at my home because of my stairs like other kids,” says Rich Padulo, founder of Treat Accessibly. “It hit me harder when I looked at all the homes in my
neighbourhood and how they all had stairs. That night, our family devised a plan to treat from our driveway and we made the first Treat Accessibly lawn sign to let families know in advance that our home would be accessible.” Four years later, more than 40,000 homes across Canada participate in Treat Accessibly, donning the lawn sign and sharing the message that the happiest Halloween is one where everyone gets a treat. As the initiative continues to grow, the family plans to offer the Treat Accessibly School Pilot annually on October 7 to schools across Canada to share the importance of providing a more accessible alternative to trick-or-treating. Since beginning their movement, Rich, his wife Natasha, and his daughter Siena, have dedicated countless hours to finding ways for Halloween to be accessible to everyone. Their efforts have been
recognized by Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who awarded Siena with the Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award for her work on the Treat Accessibly School Pilot. “Siena and I speak about Treat Accessibly all the time,” Rich said. “She was five-years-old when we first came up with the idea for the movement. Even then, her empathetic nature shone through and she devoted herself, often staying home versus trick-or-treating herself to spend extra time explaining to people why we treated from our driveway and spending extra time with the families with children with disabilities.” This year, Siena was asked to speak at the Rick Hansen Foundation’s 2021 Accessibility Professionals Network Conference. Hoping to make the most of the experience, Siena created the “There’s No Can’t in Canada” t-shirt to showcase the message that if we come together as Canadians, there’s nothing we can’t do.
© COURTESY OF TREAT ACCESSIBLY
No Tricks, All Treats: How This Ontario Family Is Making Halloween Accessible
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN TREAT ACCESSIBLY: Visit treataccessibly.com for tips on how to practice Treating Accessibly at home this year and get a free lawn sign. Share with your neighbours to get the whole street involved! Rally your local councillors, mayors, and school boards to participate and spread the message. ADVERTORIAL
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DALE AND LINDA BOLTON, FOUNDERS OF THRIVE AND NATURAL CALM CANADA
FOOD ≠ EQUAL NUTRITION Two billion people—including 33 percent of children—aren’t getting enough life-giving nutrients to reach their full potential and fight disease. The problem is hidden hunger—a chronic lack of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients only whole foods can deliver. Hidden hunger shows up when the priority is to get food in bellies, and nutrition means meal after meal of processed white grains and corn. How does Thrive tackle hidden hunger? Simply, through Life Gardens. Thrive trains and equips people to grow an abundance of healthy, organic, disease-fighting foods and medicinal plants. With knowledge, simple tools, and starter seeds, people who can’t afford healthy food can grow their own—sustainably. They call these projects Life Gardens because growing health is the first step to a thriving life. Through their Life Gardens, Thrive has made a difference
for countless people in Africa— providing them with healthy fruits and vegetables, nutrients, and the power to overcome illness. A Life Garden is a term unique to Thrive for Good, which refers to an organic, bio-intensive garden cultivated to grow nutrient-dense foods and natural medicinal plants. Each Life Garden provides 40 community members with harvests, 105 healthy and nutritious meals each day, the value of food produced each year, and so much more.
Elizabeth: “The health of my family has been changed by learning how to make food our medicine. We make our own smoothies, eat raw vegetables and sell surplus, which has enabled us to sustain our living fully. Our garden has also attracted our neighbours, and the healing is spreading to our community!” THRIVE ON KILIMANJARO To raise money for Thrive Gardens, the Natural Calm team climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise $500,000 to plant 5,000 gardens. The climb was led by the founder of Thrive and Natural Calm Canada co-founder Dale Bolton and Chad Shears. Chad took on the challenge of climbing Africa’s tallest mountain while his colleagues participated in a virtual climb from home and assisted in fundraising efforts.
FIELD STORIES Collins: “Before I came to Thrive, I used to suffer a lot from typhoid and malaria. Once I learned about healthy foods and natural medicine, I changed my eating style. Since then, I have not had to go to the hospital again. Eating a variety of vegetables and greens has strengthened my immune system. I am thankful that I am now a Thrive trainer and can share this knowledge that Find out more at naturalcalm.ca changed my life.” or thriveforgood.org
