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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Unsung Hero's of the Fires

Who are the unsung heros? The volunteer fire fighters and emergency personelle thats who!

Some of these men and women from Slave Lake, Smith, High Prairie and area fire departments were on scene for more than 32 hours straight, with no sleep or an hour here or there. They fought on the front lines, to save houses, neighborhoods, the Slave Lake hospital, and to get the public to safety. The RCMP, MDs, Peace Officers and those who were working too helped out, while everyone else was sent to safety, they all stayed behind to help save the towns and hamlets.

These people attend weekly, bi-weekly and/or monthly meetings and get training on a VOLUNTEER ongoing basis. They risk their lives, fight fires, respond to accidents and are usually on call most of their days. They carry beepers or radios, and are called at every hour of the day to respond, no matter what the road or weather conditions. They've seen unimagineable horror and carnage, devistation, but also hope.

A salute to all the emergency personelle who were there over the weekend, and are still there, and have come running to the disaster area, to help Slave Lake and area, and the rest of this fine province, battle these fires.

We would like to thank the volunteers from Nova Scotia who recognize the sacrifice and sent this email, and are sending a cheque to the Slave Lake department and their volunteers:


My name is Michelle Coolen. I am from Elmsdale, Nova Scotia. I worked with Slave Lake Air/ Ground Ambulance for 3 years. Here at our Volunteer fire department in Nova Scotia we are taking donations for Slave refugees! I am hoping to fly out next week to take the donations out myself.

I have been approached by a few of the volunteer departments down here asking who would they write a cheque out to for the fire department in slave? We would like the money being donated from the halls to go to their hall.

Keep up the great work! Its nice to see everyone coming together to help out the town i called home not even two years ago. It makes me proud to say that I was a member of a great town that will rise out of the ashes and take on all they can handle and more!


This news just came last week for Alberta Volunteer Fire Fighters, thank you Alberta Government!

The provincial government has extended workers’ compensation benefits to the province’s 10,000 volunteer, part-time and casual firefighters.


In an amendment introduced Tuesday and expected to pass this week, volunteer firefighters suffering from work-related cancer will receive the same benefits as full-time firefighters.
“Whether they are putting themselves at risk as professional, full-time firefighters or professional, part-time volunteer firefighters, it is our duty to protect them,” Employment and Immigration minister Thomas Lukaszuk said.


For the rest of the story from the Edmonton Journal go to http://www.edmontonjournal.com/story_print.html?id=4760699&sponsor=

1 comment:

  1. Wow Michelle, Thanks for all your hard work and "yes we will rise out of the ashes and rebuild our community, the place all Slave Lake residents call HOME". it is truely amazing how not only Alberta residents but across the provinces have been there to support and help out in many ways, it is truely the "Canadian way".
    Mary Schroder-Prince, Slave Lake

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