National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day

TOGETHER WE ARE PREPARED

Accomplish something great and organize neighbours, friends or a community group and participate in a project that reduces your wildfire risk.

Commit a couple of hours, or the entire day and join others throughout the nation making communities a safer place to live on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Challenge your neighbourhood, friends, family members, co-workers, community service group, youth organization, club or any eligible group to create a project and accomplish something great together! (click here to see the Official Rules for eligibility)

Efforts will raise community wildfire awareness, help protect homes and help neighbourhoods and entire communities work towards becoming FireSmart

In collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), and The Co-operators, FireSmart Canada is pleased to present the first ever National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 2, 2015.

During Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, communities across Canada are encouraged to participate in local mitigation projects to help reduce the risk of wildfire damage to their homes and neighbourhoods.

APPLY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $500 FOR YOUR GROUP NEIGHBOURHOOD OR COMMUNITY!

Up to twenty $500 project funding awards available to implement neighbourhood projects. Apply February 9 – March 20, 2015.
 
GET NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR YOUR EFFORTS!

One community project will be chosen as the focus for national media launch on May 2!

Is your community working towards to becoming nationally recognized through the FireSmart Canada Community Recognition Program? Use this day as your FireSmart Day and enter to win $500 for use towards it! Visit www.firesmartcanada.ca/firesmart-communities, or email general@firesmartcanada.ca to find out more about the FireSmart Canada Community Recognition Program

HERE'S HOW TO APPLY:

1.     Read the Official Rules Click Here to Read and Consent and Release Click Here to Read.

2.     Come up with a great project idea! Click Here for Project Ideas and Safety Tips!

3.     Complete the Project Application Form Click Here to Access the Online Application Form. Answer all of the required questions (red asterisks). Provide a short overview of the project that you plan to undertake on the Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, Saturday, May 2, 2015. Make sure you describe the activity’s benefits, who the participants will be, the city and province or territory where it will occur and details on how the project funding will be used on May 2. APPLY BEFORE 11:59 PM Mountain Time (MT), March 20, 2015.

4.     Encourage friends, family and neighbours to demonstrate support for their favourite project idea by "liking" it on the FireSmart Canada Facebook page.

5.     Project funding applications can be submitted beginning Monday February 9, 2015, through Friday, March 20, 11:59pm MT. A panel will review applications and select up to 20 project award recipients. Winners will be announced Monday, March 31, 2015.

FOLLOW FireSmart Canada on Facebook

FOLLOW #IAM FireSmart on Twitter

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Meet our Members: Adam Lariviere

Adam is a NFPA 1001 level 2 firefighter who received his certification here at Comox Fire Rescue. Joining in 2012 at age 18, he became a fully qualified firefighter by age 19. He is in his last semester of the Criminology program at North Island College and works part time at the fire hall. Adam is a very skilled member and has responded to over 300 calls. Having him at the station during day time operating hours allows us to respond faster and more efficiently, greatly increasing the quality of our public service.

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"Growing up, I didn't really know what I wanted to do for a living. Participating in the semester-long Youth Program and the spring break Youth Camp set in stone that I wanted to pursue firefighting as my career. In June of 2012, I decided to make my dream a reality and join Comox Fire Rescue as a paid-on-call firefighter. With the help of some amazing instructors and incredible training facilities and opportunities, I became fully certified in October of 2013 and have continued to learn and grow as a firefighter. I feel very lucky to have my dad, along with the Comox training officers, mentor me in the fire service and help me learn as much as possible."

- Adam

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Chief Schreiner states: "Adam has been a great addition to our team and is one of a handful of father son teams we have. He is a very capable and well trained firefighter.  It is great to watch these young people grow into mature adults who are giving back to the communities they live in."

Meet our Members: Joel Bellavance

Joel Bellavance is an NFPA 1001 level 2 firefighter who received his qualification from Training Division in Texas. Joel contacted our fire department with the idea that he would volunteer his time here during daytime hours (when we typically have less volunteer firefighters to draw from) in exchange for the experience of responding to incidents and increasing his firefighting skills in our awesome training centre. This type of format is often referred to as a work experience program.

For us it seemed like a great idea and a win/win.  We get some skilled assistance for free and Joel gets to learn more about the fire service and sharpen and enhance his skills.

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"For the past two years, I have been pursuing my dream of becoming a career firefighter. I have been taking the required qualifications and courses to apply to full-time departments throughout Canada. Many departments receive thousands of applications every year. I knew that becoming  a volunteer firefighter and getting real work experience would greatly increase my chances of getting hired.

In the fall of 2014 I started researching several volunteer departments in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, and after seeing the Comox Fire Rescue website and reading about Chief Schreiner and his department, I was very impressed. I contacted Chief Schreiner to see if there was an opportunity available and we arranged a mutually beneficial agreement.

I moved to Comox in January and started with the department right away. Everyone in the department has been very friendly and welcoming; they are like one big family. They all have a lot of experience, training and knowledge and I have been like a sponge soaking it all up!"

- Joel

Joel has been a great fit for us. He has already bonded with many of our firefighters and has made a very positive impact in his short time with us. He volunteers about three full days a week in our station which greatly improves our overall response time. Joel has also helped with many of our public services such as our smoke alarm campaign, station tours, and youth programs to name a few. Joel has already responded to over a dozen incidents.

Chief Schreiner states: “I am very impressed with our first try at a work experience program and I think we will be looking at expanding this opportunity to others in the future. Joel has been a great asset and is well suited to a fire service career.”

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Wounded Warrior Run

"When I'm on my feet, I'm off my meds."

       - Jose Santiago, SPC US Army. Survivor.

Wounded Warriors Canada is a non-profit organization that helps Canadian Forces members who have been wounded or injured in their service to Canada. They help find therapeutic programs and solutions for military men and women in need. Currently, their primary focus is on mental health and, particularly, the staggering impact of PTSD and Operational Stress Injuries.

To provide increased financial support and public awareness for Wounded Warriors Canada, the “Wounded Warrior Run BC” (WWRBC) was created.  A team of dedicated runners will relay run the length of Vancouver Island for six consecutive days, starting Sunday, 15 Feb 2015 and finishing Friday, 20 Feb 2015.  The journey will begin in Port Hardy and end in Victoria at Saunders Subaru, covering an excess of 600 km.

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Thanks to everyone for coming out to support today's leg of the run which started in Campbell River and went through the Courtenay Legion, Comox Legion, and Comox 888 Sqn RCAF Association between 2:00 and 4:00pm.

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CLICK HERE to donate to the cause!

Wounded Warriors Canada

http://woundedwarriors.ca

PTSD Association

www.ptsdassociation.com

Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation

http://www.ccisf.info

Operational Stress Injury Social Support

http://www.osiss.ca

Honour House Society

http://www.honourhouse.ca

A man's incredible journey, proving that running can indeed help heal those with PTSD

http://columbusrunningclub.grou.ps/blogs/item/the-amazing-rebirth-of-jamie-hart

Yoga classes designed specifically for people dealing with high levels of stress in their daily lives or those who are experiencing Operational Stress Injuries (located in Victoria, BC)

http://innerwarriorsyoga.com

Comox Firefighters Continue to Donate to YANA

Comox Firefighters continue their strong support to “You Are Not Alone” (YANA)

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Here Comox Firefighters present a cheque of $4,228.35 to YANA's Ocean Varney. The Comox firefighters recently collected these funds at their annual Christmas Tree recycling event. The Comox firefighters have held this event for over twenty-five years.

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Chief Gord Schreiner states: “I am so proud of our firefighters for everything they do. Not only do they respond to emergencies but they assist our community in so many other ways.” YANA's Ocean Varney states: “The support from these firefighters in Comox has been awesome. They have been with us since our early beginnings.”

Comox firefighters thank everyone who contributed to this wonderful event.