Fire Watch (Spring 2011)

Hall Showcase on Station 135 VOLUME 7

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ISSUE 1 | Spring 2011

TFS Demographics A detailed look at some interesting statistics across the job R115 Captain

Runs

P332

Age

%

Alarms District Chief

A/L421

%

T333

How Long?

How Many?

Publications Agreement No: 41203011

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 7

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ISSUE 1

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SPRING 2011

IN THIS ISSUE 25

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5 President’s Message 7 Secretary Treasurer’s Message 9 Vice President’s Message 11 Chaplain’s Corner 12 Letters to the Editor

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14 Demographics & Statistics 25 Fire Fighter Survival & Rescue 27 Thank You Marilyn!

29 Getting Fit ...Again 32 First Inaugural Health & Safety Seminar

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34 Member Profile on Jim Trenholm 39 Preventable Events

FIRE WATCH (ISSN 1715-5134) is published quarterly by the TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION 39 Commissioners Street, Toronto, ON Canada M5A 1A6 Tel: 416.466.1167 www.torontofirefighters.org E-mail: firewatch@torontofirefighters.org

40 Firehall Showcase - Station 135

FIRE WATCH is published quarterly by Xentel DM Incorporated on behalf of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

49 Never Shall We Forget

Chief Editor Ed Kennedy MANAGING Editors Frank Ramagnano & James Coones Tel.: 416.466.1167 Fax: 416.466.6632 E-mail: firewatch@torontofirefighters.org ASSISTANT EDITORS Marla Friebe, Rodney Johnston, Janos Csepreghi, Bill McKee, Damien Walsh ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS Alyssa Petrillo Design and art direction Xentel DM Incorporated

45 Where Are Your Guys?

46 Toronto FIREPAC 2010 – Our Municipal Success Story!!

In Memoriam John “Jack” Jessop 51 Executive Talk 54 Fit to Survive 56 3888 Recent Happenings 59 Behind the Mask 63 Upcoming Events

FIRE WATCH PHOTOGRAPHER Keith Hamilton

63 Ad Index

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No: 41203011

Printed in Canada Copyright © 2011 Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

On The Cover

Advertising Debra Cheeseman, Project Manager Merchant Card Acceptance Tel: 1-800-366-3113 Ext. 102 Fax: 1-866-764-2452 Email: publications@xentel.com • www.xentelpublications.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher.

FIRE WATCH is an official communication tool of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association.

The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (TPFFA) does not assume responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by any contributor. Comments made by individuals may not reflect the official position of the TPFFA. Acceptance and publication of articles, advertisements, 3 products and services does not indicate endorsement of same by the TPFFA, and the TPFFA assumes no responsibility for their accuracy.

Hal l SHo wc

aSe on Sta VOLUME 7

tF S De m og ra

Fire Watch’s highly anticipated annual TFS demographics issue with a wealth of interesting statistics!

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tio n 135

ISSUE 1 | Spring 2011

ph ic s

a de tai led loo sta tis tic s acr k at som e int ere sti ng oss the job R115 Captain

Runs

P332

Age

District

A/L421

%

ALARms Chief

%

T333

How Long ?

How many ?

Publications Agreemen

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH

t No: 41203011

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Collective Bargaining/Arbitration Update

A

s I am sure most of you are aware, your Association is currently preparing for Arbitration, due to the breakdown of negotiations for our 2010 Collective Agreement. Both parties - the Association and the City - have agreed upon Arbitrator, Kevin Burkett, who has done many grievance, as well as contract arbitrations in his long and distinguished career. Jeffrey Sack, from Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, has been retained as our nominee to the Board and Local 3888 Member, Jeff Nester, will round out your team as our Advocate. Jeff has done numerous Boards across the Province of Ontario and has become a skilled and effective voice for fire fighters. John Saunders, from Hicks Morley will be the nominee for the City of Toronto and Darragh Meagher, Director of the City’s Legal Services, has been appointed as their advocate.

One of the irritants of our system for resolving contracts is the time it takes to move through the process, as required by the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, our Labour Relations Bill.

Accordingly, we have a mediation date set for June 28, 2011, and another, if needed, scheduled for July 14, 2011. If no resolve is possible at these mediation meetings, our first Arbitration date is currently December 21, 2011.

Due to the fact that an agreement could not be reached with the last city council, prior to last fall’s municipal election, your Bargaining Committee convened a meeting with the new Mayor’s staff, in an effort to alter the mandate from the City’s Employee and Labour Relations Committee, under the previous administration. We pointed out our long standing comparison with Toronto Police and asked that they change their mandate to replicate this police parity reality in both wages and a Post-65 Benefits program. After this meeting on February 1, 2011, your Bargaining Committee was unfortunately advised that there would be no change

in their position. Thus, we have still been left with no choice but to proceed to Arbitration.

“Letters of Expectation” There has been much interest and discussion in the firehalls, as well as at the Executive table about these, “Letters of Expectation.” Indeed, I have been receiving many emails and phone calls and have posted Union Notice #11 – 001, which I encourage all of you to read. Although I believe that it should be obvious, I want to reiterate that this Association does not now, nor has it ever condoned any abuse of our sick time benefits or IDD’s. As clearly outlined in my notice, this Association had no prior knowledge or role in the distribution of these letters.

When notified by our members, we immediately contacted Toronto Fire Services Administration and they agreed to stop distribution of these ‘letters’ and meet with your Association representatives. We viewed these as ‘disciplinary’ letters and contacted our lawyers for a legal opinion, with the intention of filing a grievance if necessary.

We have been advised by administration that a new lot of letters will again be going out to some of our members.

We have been assured that this time your Association will be informed ahead of time and will be involved, in order to provide representation to our members as required. We have also made it clear that we will not agree with any request for a doctor’s note for family members as a result of the use of IDD’s.

In addition, this issue has also highlighted the issue of representation of our membership. The Fire Protection and Prevention Act clearly states that where there is a Union in place, that Union becomes the sole bargaining agent between the parties. The cover page of our Contract is entitled a “Collective Agreement between the City of Toronto and The Toronto Professional

Ed Kennedy

Fire Fighters’ Association, Local 3888, and the very first clause in this Collective Agreement (#1.01 – Recognition) notes that Local 3888 is the ‘exclusive’ bargaining agent with the city.

While our members are certainly entitled to have opinions and views about labour/management issues, it is essential that these opinions be presented in the appropriate forum - at our general membership meetings. It is the sole responsibility of your elected representatives to deal with management regarding labour relations issues.

This is not meant to infer any restraint on the rights of the membership or on any individual to express their opinions openly and without retribution. This Association is a democratic institution and I will go to great lengths to ensure that a member’s right to be heard is upheld. Historically, unions have always been in the forefront of protecting the rights of their membership as well as their dignity in the workplace. That is why we have negotiated the many clauses in our Collective Agreement that protect the rights of Toronto Fire Fighters.

With this in mind, the issue surrounding these, ‘Letters of Expectation,’ will continue to be a high priority for myself and for your Executive Committee, and we will work diligently on behalf of the entire membership to find a satisfactory resolve.

Ed Kennedy President, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, I.A.F.F. Local 3888

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SECRETARY TREASURER’S MESSAGE “Arbitrators thumb their nose at the province and hand out rich wage increases to the public sector, while municipalities are forced to keep pace. The system is broken. A PC government will work with municipalities to fix it and ensure public sector contracts reflect Ontario families’ ability to pay.”

—Tim Hudak, Ontario PC Leader

ONTARIO’S ARBITRATION SYSTEM: IS IT REALLY BROKEN? Or are politicians taking notice of what is going on in the United States?

M

arch 1, 2011, during question period at Queens Park, Tim Hudak, leader of the Ontario PC Party, asked questions of the Minister of Labour about fixing the arbitration process. In summing up his 3rd supplemental question, he made the comment that the PC party will fix Ontario’s broken arbitration system. Later that same day, MPP Hudak gave an address at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association/Ontario Good Roads Association joint conference, in which he then released a press issued on the matter.

With Tim Hudak’s and AMO President, Peter Hume’s speeches, as well as the issue being raised in question period at Queen’s Park, the press release, and the media coverage with various Mayors, it appears as though this was a coordinated effort.

However, it is a coordinated effort laced with misinformation regarding the current arbitration system, as: • Evidence shows that arbitrated awards are not out of line when compared to freely negotiated settlements.

• A rbitrators are not handing down “rich” awards to Fire/Police locals.

• Some awards may have a higher wage increase but that is due to the local “catching-up” to its historical comparators and to the local police force with respect to pay.

• If arbitration is so generous, why are the majority of contracts in the Fire and Police sector settled freely?

This should be sounding alarm bells for all workers who have had their right to strike taken away and are forced into arbitrated settlements. Hopefully, everyone is aware of what is transpiring in the United States and the IAFF’s “Fight-

ing Back Campaign.” If you are not, please visit the IAFF website and educate yourself.

“We are working to ensure that arbitrators consider a municipality’s ability to pay before introducing contract settlements that can adversely affect a community. Common sense dictates that Arbitrators should consider how many businesses have closed down, how deeply property values have declined, and how great a property tax increase will be needed to fund the figures they have in mind.”

—Peter Hume, President of AMO

There are some states that are trying to stack all the cards in their favour. In Ohio, the state senate passed a bill that, in effect, hands over all labour arbitration decisions involving public workers directly to the governments that employ them. The Ohio bill would give public sector employers the right to unilaterally determine how much their workers are paid, what kind of benefits they receive and how many hours a day they work. In the event of an impasse, the final decision is made not by independent arbitrators but by the workers’ politician employers. That is what you call stacking the deck against you, which makes the entire bargaining exercise effectively irrelevant. Under these rules, why would any employer settle a contract with you?

Is this the fix that a PC government will work with municipalities to implement?

As we are aware, being denied the right to strike hasn’t necessarily hurt essential workers. That’s because any disputes that can’t be solved by bargaining are decided by independent arbitrators that make decisions consistent with free-

Frank Ramagnano

ly negotiated contracts and what the parties would have been able to achieve if negotiations had been allowed to progress to their conclusion.

All public workers deserve fair treatment; those of us who’ve chosen public service and public safety as careers are dedicated to our communities. Yet, we’re under assault from governments that want to make us the scapegoats for their lack of regulatory supervision of our economy. They want to destroy collective bargaining rights, which benefit not only our families but also our communities. We’re working to save lives, protect property and keep our neighbourhoods safe; we do it for our communities.

Attacking public employees is simply wrong. Stacking the deck in one parties favour is simply not Canadian and is against the principles which this nation was formed upon.

“Arbitrators need to apply local economic tests before making awards, such as what change in property taxation would occur, loss of assessment, current layoffs or loss of employment to determine a municipality’s ability to pay. Arbitrators need to consider if a municipality will have to raise taxes and if homeowners can afford that.”

—Mayor Hazel McCallion Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) Chair

Frank Ramagnano Secretary - Treasurer, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888 S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH

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VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE HONOURING THE FALLEN – WHY IT MATTERS

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y father was a WWII veteran of the British Army. He finished the war in 1945 in Burma, one of the most horrific active theatres of the Second World War.

While it’s uncertain what impact this had on him, when he died after lengthy battles with Hodgkin’s disease and then Leukemia at the age of 59, it’s likely his war experience had played a contributing role in his illness.

My own personal history provides part of my motivation for attending the funerals and memorial services of our own fallen members, as well as those of our veterans, when one makes the solemn procession down the Highway of Heroes.

It’s apparent that fire fighters share a common bond of service with those in the military. We share a commitment to duty - along with police officers - and the knowledge that sometimes, despite our best efforts, one of our own will pay the ultimate sacrifice while performing those duties. Many of our members have a close affiliation with the military service and show their support at every opportunity.

It’s a couple of days past Christmas and through a frigid Chicago wind, thousands of fire fighters and police officers stand dutifully waiting to pay their last respects to Chicago Fire Fighters, Corey Ankum and Ed Stringer, who died tragically in a building collapse on December 22, 2010.

Emergency workers from across North America attended these two funerals, two days apart. Members of the Chicago Fire Department were extremely grateful for the presence of so many fire fighters from hundreds of IAFF locals and I was extremely proud to stand with the members of our Association who made their way to Chicago to be in attendance and support our brothers and sisters.

Flash forward a few weeks to a spectacle our city has never seen. An estimated 13,000 police officers, joined with fire fighters and other emergency workers from across the continent, standing united in grief to honour the passing of To-

ronto Police Sergeant, Ryan Russell. As a promising life and beloved member of the community was struck down senselessly and tragically, we stood shoulder to shoulder with our grieving brothers and sisters of the Toronto Police Service. It was a profoundly moving experience to be in attendance that day.

In an open letter published in all the media outlets a few days later, Christine Russell wrote of her experience that day and spoke of how she, “took every moment in.”

While still trying to absorb the shock of what had happened, she was able to observe what was going on and she wanted all those who had attended to know how much their presence had helped her get through this terrible experience. While our attendance may seem insignificant to us, to those going through such trying times, it provides great comfort in knowing that so many are there providing their implicit support.

Damien Walsh

As our lives become more complicated with each passing year, we sometimes struggle to stay involved and engaged in the culture of our profession. If there is one area that deserves that extra commitment to participate, it is in supporting our fallen and their families in their time of grief.

Each year in May, we honour our members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice at the Toronto Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service at Station 334 at Harbour Front. I would encourage our members to attend this year’s service as we honour those we have lost over the past year in the line of duty.

Sadly, each year we also lose a number of active members and it is on these occasions that we can offer support to their families and come together to provide some comfort. Our profession is known as much for its compassion as it is for bravery. We go the extra mile for the citizens we serve, and hopefully, we can stand united for those of our own in their time of need.

To those members who regularly attend the many funerals and memorials that occur throughout the year, we are grateful and appreciative of your efforts on behalf of all of our members.

Damien Walsh, Vice-President, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888

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1/19/11 10:40 AM

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

By Barry Parker, TFS South Command Chaplain

WHEN A PLAQUE IS MORE THAN A MEMORY

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ne of the important, but little known, aspects of the work of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association is ensuring that fallen fire fighters are honoured and their memories cherished.

One simple way in which this is done is to acknowledge the life, service and loss of a fire fighter who has died in a Line of Duty Death (LODD). This is partially accomplished by the placement of a plaque in the last firehall in which he or she served.

The past few months have seen the Association working diligently to ensure that all Toronto Fire Fighters, whose deaths are designated a LODD, have their plaque placed with dignity and respect in various firehalls throughout the GTA. The short and solemn service gathers the affected families, a representative of the Association - most often our President Ed Kennedy, and a Chief Officer of the TFS - most often Fire Chief, Bill Stewart. The families are welcomed, the plaque is unveiled and prayers are read by one of the Chaplains. It is a deceptively simple observance, but one of great value and necessity to both the immediate family of the fallen fire fighter and the family of the TFS. There are three reasons for this: First - The death of a fellow fire fighter in the line of duty is an acknowledge-

Dr. Barry Parker

ment that a death has occurred - full stop. This is a stark reminder that fighting fires is a hazardous occupation and that the men and women of Toronto Fire stand in the gap, day-in and day-out, ready to serve and place themselves in harm’s way, no matter what the cost.

Second - The plaque dedication is a reminder that a life was lived, integrated with the Fire Service; serving, working, laughing, perhaps even crying through all that fire fighting entails. Lifelong friendships were formed. Family issues were shared. Life in all its richness - the good, the bad and the ugly - was lived out in this family community of the Fire Service.

Third - The plaques that hang on the walls in a number of our firehalls are a clear reminder that we are mortal and finite as well. Life is fragile, transient, and there is the reality that a fire service death impacts us all for the long haul.

You can avoid thinking about death; you can tell yourself that you didn’t know the person - but you know in your gut, to live means having to die.

SOUTH COMMAND Dr. Barry Parker 416.961.8116 (church) bparker@stpaulsbloor.org

So, as a Chaplain, my prayer for all of the men and women serving in the TFS is simple. It is the same one that forms a part of our Plaque Dedication. I can say nothing more. I can say nothing less.

“

Creator God, we praise you and thank you for this world that you have created, and which you have given into our care and keeping. We thank you for its beauty and its goodness.

But we also know, O God, that there is in this creation of yours things that are neither of your creation nor of your will: such things as suffering, violence, pain, death and destruction from a variety of causes.

But we are grateful to know, O God, that there are also those who are willing to battle these forces, even though it might lead to their death. This fallen fire fighter was one of these persons: standing in the gap, serving those who are threatened by these forces. We thank you for his life, for his professionalism, and for his commitment to serving others.

Bless those who loved him and who miss him, as well as those who worked with him. May his memory always be an inspiration to us and to those who come after us.

”

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 11

rs e tt e L t o t h e Ed i t o r

Christmas Party Thank You

Ryan Russell Funeral

Just want to say a BIG THANK YOU for putting on such a huge affair for fire fighters, staff, family and friends!!

It was my first time attending (with my 2 yr. old grandson) and I was overwhelmed and blown away with the amount of organized and staffed events, as well as food available for all ages (young and old). You didn’t leave anything out and the gifts for the children were FIRST CLASS!!

I would be pleased to offer my assistance next year as a volunteer to such a well organized party ... THANK YOU!!!!!

I would like to personally thank you in regards to the support of the Toronto Fire Services and the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association. It was a great turn out by members of the Toronto Fire Services for Ryan’s funeral and I know that it was greatly appreciated by all the Police Officers who attended.

Wilma and I went to the visitation for Ryan at Jerrett’s Funeral Home and waited in line for two and a half hours. It was an extremely cold day and it was a pleasant sight seeing the HUSAR Tent that was set up

—Barb Toronto Fire HQ_Admin.Asst. to Chief Higgins

Funds Towards Surgery I’ve been meaning to get back to you and say thanks for all your work and support.

The funds helped offset the costs of my surgery, it was very thoughtful of the Association and yourself.

Please feel free to pass on my appreciation to all that helped.

Merry Christmas and good health to you and your family. ­—Tim Dobney

Jack Jessop Funeral I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chief Stewart for the nice words he delivered at my Dad’s funeral.

I would also like to thank Local 3888 for the floral arrangement and all of the brothers and sisters who travelled to Smiths Falls.

Special thanks to sister Chamberlain and brothers Moyle and Spooner for being pallbearers and to District 42 B for the donation to the Legion Poppy Fund in the memory of Jack Jessop.

—John Jessop and Family

12

and the Auxo Van which was serving coffee and hot chocolate. If it wasn’t for those two pleasantries I’m sure they would have found the two of us frozen in the parking lot of the funeral home.

On the day of the funeral it was great to see hundreds of Toronto Firefighters in uniform standing side by side in solidarity with their Toronto Police counterparts. Not only did it show solidarity but the respect that we have for one another. It was a great honour to see the two aerial trucks that were set up on Lower Simcoe Street with the large Canadian Flag flying overhead.

Please pass on our many thanks to your members for their support and compassion when we needed it.

—Mike Cannon Staff Sergeant #2853 Toronto Police Services No. 54 Division “C” Pltn.

Gift Bags Just wanted to thank you for the gift bags that were dropped off yesterday from the Association. They are beautiful. Thank you for thinking of us, we really appreciate it.

—Darlene

Christmas Gift Appreciation I just wanted to say thank you very much for the wonderful Christmas gift!! It was the nicest thing to come in to work this morning to find such a wonderful unexpected treat!

I just started this position about four weeks

ago and it just keeps on getting better and better!! :) It was very much appreciated. I am excited to use my first Fire Fighters mug :) Thanks again!!!

—Melissa Ciccocelli-Kovacevic Administrative Assistant Division Chief, Fire Prevention Division

Thank You for the Christmas Gift Bag! Just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the lovely Christmas gift bag. It is filled with very thoughtful (and useful) things that I can use throughout the holidays. I usually take mine home and put it under the tree to open Christmas day, but decided to open it here in the office after hearing all the ladies oohing and aawing over theirs.

Thank you again. I hope all of you have a very happy, healthy and joyous Christmas and New Year!

—Judi Donadel, Admin Assistant to Deputy Chief Lamie

January 6, 2011

Credit Union Members! ers and Fire Services

to Local 3888 Memb A special Thank You e represents the aggregat Camp Bucko, which

a total of $3,000 to ated don has n

Unio ear. it ut the y The Fire Services Cred s undertaken througho gh the various initiative

amounts raised throu ort such a worthy and are to be able to supp we sed

ess how plea support and various this opportunity to expr ber contributions, staff mem le of

edib tion incr bina I would like to take ce a com experien monies raised were s, particularly children, young burn important cause. The the year. Burn survivor environment where uct sales throughout ides a unique and fun prov incentives tied to prod o Buck p Cam m. challenges. stee al elf-­‐e s

tion heir t emo

ild and e-­‐bu r physical g and further the process of healin

survivors can continue he needs of Ontario Fire n dedicated to serving t d by our

ce financial institutio ervi thy causes supporte s a full-­‐s wor on i to Uni te edit ribu s Cr cont vice to The Fire Ser will continue nded families and we Fighters and their exte community. ad this to add, “We d Toronto Firefighter h ion, we are

rd of Directors, Retire help of your contribut Chairman of the Boa he t cko ith w p Bu nd a

Cam ray, nion U t Dan McMur adds to the quality ire Services Credi am each summer that the support of the F rogr p t rtan mpo i n a very much appreciate vors with rovide young burn survi able to continue to p of their lives”.

With Sincere thanks,

Kevin Connolly r Chief Executive Office nion Fire Services Credit U sion 301 (416) 440-­‐1294, exten sion 301 xten e

285, 33-­‐3 8 ) (866 a kevin@firecreditunion.c

FIRE WATCH accepts Letters to the Editor, articles, essays, and photographs from Local 3888 Members, active and retired.

We will also accept fire related submissions from outside authors or photographers.

Letters to the Editor may be forwarded to: Letter to the Editor FIRE WATCH 39 Commissioners Street Toronto, Ontario Canada M5A 1A6 Letters Policy You may email your letter to: firewatch@torontofirefighters.org FIRE WATCH welcomes letters to the editor to give you – Local 3888 members – an opportunity to express your views, concerns, ideas, or gripes.

We can’t print every letter and in some instances letters will have to be edited due to space limitations.

[

We do not accept attachments. Please paste your letter into the body of your email and use the subject line “Letter to the Editor.”

]

articles Before sending a full article submission, we suggest that you forward an outline or suggestion for an article to the Editor.

FIRE WATCH is your magazine, and as such, we will accept articles on any subject related to Local 3888 and the fire community. Subjects could include but are not limited to: health issues, history, sporting events, equipment, training issues, personal essays, etc.

Article submissions/queries may be forwarded to: Articles FIRE WATCH 39 Commissioners Street Toronto, Ontario Canada M5A 1A6

[

]

You may email your submission/query to firewatch@torontofirefighters.org We do not accept attachments.

Forward your suggestion in the body of an email and use the subject line “Article submission or query”.

Photography Please contact the Editors before forwarding your photographic work for consideration.

FIRE WATCH does not offer payment for submissions.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 13

&

Demographics

STATISTICS

Toronto Fire Services Staff Complement By Rank (As of March 2011)

Division Firefighters Captains District Chiefs Management/ Excluded Staff/ Local 79 Fire Prevention and Public Education 98 Communications 60 Staff Services 7 Information and Communication Systems 8 Mechanical Maintenance 31 Professional Development and Training Emergency Planning and Research Health and Safety

26 9 7

5 4 2

3 3 43.3*

132 76 56.5

3 7

2 2

5 3

18 43

33

5

4

43

4 3

1 1

Operations 2,172 529 65 Senior Management Offices TOTAL 2,376 621 87

Note: Based on approved positions as reflected in the approved organizational chart. * Includes summer students equal to 0.8 FTE’s ** Includes Administrative Assistant at Dr. Forman’s Office

14

Total

24 14** 99.3

5 3 2,790 14 3,183.3

4658 4583 3764 3494 3173 3143 3032 3028 2986 2979 2959 2938 2803 2775 2758 2756 2737 2652 2641 2513 2469 2422 2401 2377 2377 2368 2360 2343 2333 2302 2247 2242 2236 2236 2218 2192 2162 2153 2150 2128 2121 2,108 2105 2093

45 R235 46 R243 47 P334 48 R133 49 P245 50 P244 51 R411 52 R224 53 P343 54 R423 55 P233 56 P113 57 P121 58 P242 59 P116 60 P111 61 R122 62 R435 63 P431 64 P131 65 P342 66 P213 67 R241 68 R444 69 P413 70 P123 71 P227 72 P212 73 R326 74 P125 75 R321 76 P422 77 P432 78 P224 79 P424 80 R425 81 R214 82 R434 83 R412 84 P211 85 P215 86 P335 87 V335 88 P346

2084 2031 2,019 2014 2011 2,008 1984 1,956 1,910 1907 1,822 1,821 1,762 1,752 1,701 1,693 1,692 1,679 1,665 1,643 1,632 1,599 1,589 1,570 1560 1,559 1,485 1,466 1,450 1,442 1,426 1,391 1,385 1,383 1,342 1,337 1,287 1,277 1,168 1,104 1,043 137 63 20

2116 2031 1,796 2064 2041 1,751 1908 1,782 1,789 2083 1,870 1,669 1,839 1,813 1,637 1,744 1,734 1,890 1,661 1,623 1,617 1,735 1,660 1,579 2145 1,486 1,459 1,526 1,461 1,499 1,644 1,377 1,342 1,304 1,335 1,153 1,246 1,253 1,247 1,095 990 95 49 33

% Change

2009 Runs

2010 Runs

Apparatus

2010 Rank

% Change

2009 Runs

4741 -1.75% 4405 4.04% 3527 6.72% 3504 -0.29% 3268 -2.91% 3035 3.56% 2778 9.14% 3169 -4.45% 2786 7.18% 3051 -2.36% 2682 10.33% 2753 6.72% 2905 -3.51% 2801 -0.93% 2771 -0.47% 2695 2.26% 2722 0.55% 2590 2.39% 2906 -9.12% 2433 3.29% 2713 -8.99% 2206 9.79% 2371 1.27% 2454 -3.14% 2388 -0.46% 2375 -0.29% 2414 -2.24% 2244 4.41% 2239 4.20% 2225 3.46% 2435 -7.72% 2297 -2.39% 2367 -5.53% 2274 -1.67% 2243 -1.11% 2154 1.76% 1968 9.86% 2031 6.01% 2085 3.12% 2043 4.16% 2164 -1.99% 1,901 10.89% 2110 -0.24% 2102 -0.43%

Note: Based on Information provided by TFS

1 P332 2 P314 3 R325 4 P313 5 P312 6 P132 7 P315 8 P325 9 R426 10 P223 11 P331 12 R231 13 P333 14 P442 15 P232 16 P114 17 P344 18 R112 19 P142 20 R345 21 R134 22 R341 23 P141 24 P443 25 P146 26 P234 27 P433 28 P426 29 P226 30 P311 31 P222 32 R225 33 R421 34 P143 35 P322 36 P445 37 R413 38 P145 39 P323 40 R441 41 P415 42 R115 43 P135 44 P324

2010 Runs

Apparatus

2010 Rank

Pumpers/Rescue Pumpers

-1.51% 0.00% 12.42% -2.42% -1.47% 14.68% 3.98% 9.76% 6.76% -8.45% -2.57% 9.11% -4.19% -3.36% 3.91% -2.92% -2.42% -11.16% 0.24% 1.23% 0.93% -7.84% -4.28% -0.57% -27.27% 4.91% 1.78% -3.93% -0.75% -3.80% -13.26% 1.02% 3.20% 6.06% 0.52% 15.96% 3.29% 1.92% -6.34% 0.82% 5.35% 44.21% 28.57% -39.39%

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 15

16

2010 Rank

2,628 2,674 2,303 2,114 2,042 1,947 1,779 1,647 1,868 1,603 1,636 1,515 1,460 1,487 1,650 1,342 1,354 1,263 1247 1,102 1,063 1,111 1,174 1,277 1,081 1,055 829 842 917 689

0.11% -9.57% 3.65% -0.95% -8.86% -5.70% 0.34% 6.74% -10.44% -1.00% -5.01% 1.12% 4.38% 1.55% -8.97% 0.89% -0.15% 2.38% -6.26% 5.17% 4.70% 0.00% -7.67% -16.29% -3.79% -9.95% 12.91% -5.46% -14.29% 1.31%

1

% Change

% Change

2,631 2,418 2,387 2,094 1,861 1,836 1,785 1,758 1,673 1,587 1,554 1,532 1,524 1,510 1,502 1,354 1,352 1,293 1169 1,159 1,113 1,111 1,084 1,069 1,040 950 936 796 786 698

2009 Runs

2009 Runs

A312 A325 A142 T114 A231 A222 T331 A315 A244 T333 A131 A133 A322 A226 A113 A426 A421 A213 A441 PL432 A345 A341 A135 PL415 A433 A423 A324 A411 A321 A215

2010 Runs

2010 Runs

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Apparatus

Apparatus

Heavy Squads

2010 Rank

Aerials/Platforms/Towers

S313 2,308 2,278

1.32%

2

S331 1,684 1,543

9.14%

3

S143 1,623 1,639

-0.98%

4

S232 1,565 1,492

4.89%

5

S445 1,248 1,352

-7.69%

Note: Based on Information provided by TFS

% Change

2009 Runs

2010 Runs

Apparatus

2010 Rank

Specialty and Support

1

HR332 3,713 3,856 -3.71%

2

HZ332 938

888

5.63%

3

HZ145 839

828

1.33%

4

CMD10 272

204

33.33%

5

LA421

263

233

12.88%

6

LA333

225

241

-6.64%

7

FB334 173

168

2.98%

8

LA231

164

161

1.86%

9

CMD30 148

131

12.98%

10 LA114

140

158 -11.39%

11 WT211 14

22

-36.36%

12 TRS235 6

17

-64.71%

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41

1 1 5 10 17 8 4 4 5 2 1 2 3

2007

2008

2009

2010

L-3888 Average Age 45.46 45.9 46 L-3888 Average Years of Service 17.13 17.41 17.46 Average Age when starting 28.16 31.69 30.69

Average age when retiring 55.75 56.06 56.31 Average years of service when retiring 30.01 30.42 30.54

Operations

Captain Average Age 52.61 52.91 53.34 Captain Average Years of Service 27.66 27.98 28.27 DC Average Age 58.94 58.15 57.41 DC Average Years of Service 34.16 33.78 33.66

46.28 17.61 30.59

56.81 31.57

53.85 28.58 57.55 33.79

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968

75 98 79 50 51 53 40 64 161 85 94 105 0 136 74 132 70 71 70 129 188 186 133 116 70 112 94 86 56 85 98 61 64 38 27 18 24 6 4 0 4 3 1

Left TFS

1 4 4 8 8 7 5 8 4 3 5 3 3

# of members

# of District Chief per each service year

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 62 63 64

Start Date

District Chief years of Service

3 13 12 15 83 63 62 39 70 66 33 24 16 15 4 5 1 1

# of District Chiefs each age

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 42

Age of District Chiefs

1 4 11 13 21 26 44 52 62 51 50 43 42 32 27 17 12 11 5 2

# of Captains per each service year

42 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 64

Captain years of Service

89 97 79 49 51 51 41 63 161 85 93 105 1 137 73 133 71 71 68 130 196 189 132 115 70 109 93 85 55 84 87 53 55 29 23 11 12 4 2 3 3 1

# of Captains each age

0-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42

Age of Captains

# of members each service year

# of members each age 1 5 8 20 20 25 19 25 31 35 33 56 40 50 68 85 85 83 84 113 102 112 117 144 152 153 151 152 153 143 144 109 123 97 82 66 66 36 29 17 18 7 7 2 1 2

Years of service 3888 members

Age of 3888 members 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

84 113 87 60 49 60 50 91 65 98 124 70 65

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 17

2010 Year End Call Total

2010 Total Apparatus Runs

Command

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

Command

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

North

33,271

32878

33024

33026

32354

32506

North

64,217

64801

67457

69560

70513

72175

East

34,261

33528

33118

33431

31796

32503

East

59,244

58379

60660

62579

61130

62875

South

44,119

42774

42852

42742

42444

39278

South

94,633

93613

97694

99973

99625

102301

West

32,806

32706

33058

33281

32227

32802

West

58,489

59856

63542

65070

63392

66255

Total

144,457 141886

142052

142480

138821

137089

Total

276,583 276649

289353

297182

294660

303606

$27,847.00 $23,511.60

C33

4,659 4,702 -0.91%

2

C31

3,848 3,975 -3.19%

$290,770.5 $13,834.7

$3,014.00 $27,847.0 Professional Development and Mechanical Support $23,511.6 $358,977.80 Headquarters $3,014.0 $358,977.8

Fire Services 2010 Net Operating Budget-Actuals

by Service Professional Development and Mechanical Support

Communications and Operational Support 8%

1

Fire Services Gross Operating 3 C13 20102,798 2,944 Budget-Actuals -4.96%

4

by Expenditure Type

C32 and Rents 2,313 Contribution 0.70% to 2,297 Reserves Services 1.5%

Headquarters 1%

5 Equipment C34 0.2%

6 C14 Materials and

Fire Prevention and Public Safety 4% Operations 80%

Gross

Supplies 1.8%

2.1%

Inter-

Departmenta 2,220 2,203 0.77% l Charges 1.8%

2,197 2,361 -6.95%

7

C23

2,010 2,098 Salaries -4.19% and

8

C11

92.5% 1,990 2,004 -0.70%

BeneďŹ ts

Salaries and Benefits

$343,728.30

9

C41

1,817 2,032 -10.58%

Materials and Supplies

$6,785.10

Equipment

$856.20

10 C42

1,754 1,805 -2.83%

Services and Rents

$5,553.40

11 C12

1,744 1,869 -6.69%

$7,931.80

12 C22

1,733 1,839 -5.76%

13 C44

1,395 1,475 -5.42%

14 C24

1,391 1,617 -13.98%

15 C43

1,092 1,212 -9.90%

16 C21

875

882

-0.79%

17 C30

125

105

19.05%

18 C20

96

107 -10.28%

19 C10

89

89

0.00%

20 C40

86

79

8.86%

Contribution to Reserves

Gross Salaries and Benefits Materials and Supplies Equipment Services and Rents Contribution to Reserves Interdepartmental Charges Other

$343,728.3 $6,785.1 $856.2 $5,553.4 $7,931.8 $6,503.9 $87.1

Interdepartmental Charges

$6,503.90

Other

$87.10 $371,445.80

371,445.80

Fire Services 2010 Gross Operating Budget-Actuals

by Expenditure Type Services and Rents 1.5%

Equipment 0.2%

Contribution to Reserves 2.1%

InterDepartmenta l Charges 1.8%

Materials and Supplies 1.8% Salaries and BeneďŹ ts 92.5%

18

% Change

$13,834.70

2009 Runs

Fire Prevention and Public Safety Communications and Operational Support Operating Budget 2010 - Actual Spending Professional Development Net Operationsand Mechanical Support Fire Prevention and Public Safety Headquarters Communications and Operational Support

District Chief Cars & Platoon Chiefs 2010 Runs

$290,770.50

Apparatus

Operations

2010 Rank

Net

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

$248,428.6 $262,067.4 $277,075.5 $297,944.9 $303,829.4 $327,746.2 $330,143.9 $351,649.4 $361,377.2 $358,977.8

7.7% 5.5% 5.7% 7.5% 2.0% 7.9% 0.7% 6.5% 2.8% -0.7%

Year

Toronto Fire Services Net Operating Budget –Toronto Actual Spending (1999-2010) (thousands) Fire Services Net Operating Budget - Actual Spending (1999-2010) (thousands) $400,000.0 $350,000.0

$50,000.0

$358,977.8

$361,377.2

$351,649.4

$330,143.9

$327,746.2

$303,829.4

$297,944.9

$277,075.5

$100,000.0

$262,067.4

$150,000.0

$248,428.6

$200,000.0

$230,728.0

$250,000.0 $217,885.7

Net Operating Budget (thousands)

$300,000.0

$0.0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year

65% overall increase since 1998

Net Operating Budget % Increase

1998

$218,964.90

1999

$217,885.70

-0.5%

2000

$230,728.00

5.9%

2001

$248,428.60

7.7%

2002

$262,067.40

5.5%

2003

$277,075.50

5.7%

2004

$297,944.90

7.5%

2005

$303,829.40

2.0%

2006

$327,746.20

7.9%

2007

$330,143.90

0.7%

2008

$351,649.40

6.5%

2009

$361,377.20

2.8%

2010

$358,977.80

-0.7%

2005 –2010 TFS Response Statistics (at time of dispatch – CAD Data) Call Type Check Call Carbon Monoxide Fire Alarm Ringing Fire Gas Leak Hazardous Materials Island Lake Mutual Aid Medical Call Police Assist Rescue Suspicious Substance

2010 6,435 4,121 23,950 8,923 538 1,731 107 7 1 83,196 24 2,476 71

2009 6,958 3,850 25,564 8,947 610 1,620 76 5 0 79,747 23 2,156 50

2008 7,033 3,511 27,635 8,281 590 1,823 70 10 1 78,251 18 2,322 39

2007 7,181 3,596 27,978 9,543 622 1,949 73 6 1 75,177 31 2,381 41

2006 7,003 3,652 28,196 8,719 496 1,877 97 14 1 73,140 31 2,199 21

2005 7,509 3,828 29,063 9,362 531 1,738 76 6 2 72,645 28 2,311 31

11,315 623

10,571 682

10,692 664

11,628 670

12,198 573

11,436 917

889

1,155

1,004

1,465

1,042

970

TOTAL NUMBER OF INCIDENTS % Change

144,407 1.69%

142,014 0.05%

141,944 -0.28%

142,342 2.21%

139,368 -0.85%

140,516

TOTAL NUMBER OF UNIT RESPONSES % Change

276,729 -0.56%

278,281 -3.86%

289,460 -2.63%

297,287 0.89%

294,660 -2.95%

303,606

Vehicle Incident incl. Fire Water Problem Wires Down

Notes: *Total numbers have been restated for previous year to remove the “Test Event” category, as this code does not result in any vehicle movements.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 19

How many injuries resulted from residential fires?

Factors that can influence the rate of injuries and fatalities occurring in fires in a community can be influenced by: • Urban form/densification (rural/ urban/high-rise apartments or office towers/commercial/ industrial/ forests) and the degree of risk (such as fire spread, age and type of building stock, type of occupancy, etc.) associated with these varying forms • The extent of fire prevention and education programs.

How many fatalities resulted from residential fires?

• The daily inflow and outflow of commuters, tourists, seasonal residents and attendees at cultural, entertainment or sporting events, is not factored into this populationbased measure.

• Municipal efforts to reduce the incidence of false alarms.

How does the TFS measure up?

How many fires result in property loss?

Factors that can influence the rate of fires in a community include: • The age and densification of the housing stock • The extent of fire prevention and education efforts • Socio-demographics Enforcement of the Fire Code

20

How many hours are fire vehicles available to respond to emergencies?

The number of in-service vehicle hours that are available in a municipality can be influenced by: • Service levels as determined by municipal council.

• Varying population densities and nature/extent of risks within urban areas.

• Geography/topography, transportation routes, traffic congestion, travel distances (station location, etc.) which can affect the number of vehicle required.

What is the cost of fire services for each hour the vehicles are in-service?

Municipal results for fire cost per inservice vehicle hour can be influenced by: • The severity or nature of risk associated with each incident impacts the number and type of vehicles responding (responses) as well as deployment strategies (number and type of apparatus by response type).

• Different salary structures • The type and staffing levels on fire apparatus/vehicles

How long does it take to respond to an emergency call?

Response times in the urban areas of municipalities can be influenced by many variables, including: • Differences in population densities • The nature and extent of fire risks, such as the type of building construction or occupancy (apartment dwellings versus single family homes) • Geography and topography • Transportation routes, traffic congestion and travel distances • Service levels as determined by municipal council

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 21

Age of Current Fleet YEAR APPARATUS #

MANUFACTURER

Aerial Apparatus A113 Spartan / Smeal 2007 2002 A131 Spartan / Smeal 1997 A133 Spartan 1999 A135 Spartan / Smeal 2001 A142 Spartan / Smeal 2007 A213 Spartan / Smeal 2001 A215 Spartan / Smeal 2001 A222 Spartan / Smeal 2002 A226 Spartan / Smeal 2007 A231 Spartan / Smeal 2007 A244 Spartan / Smeal 2004 A312 Spartan / Smeal 2001 A315 Spartan / Smeal 1999 A321 Spartan / Smeal 2001 A322 Spartan / Smeal 2004 A324 Spartan / Smeal 2006 A325 Spartan / Smeal 2009 A341 Spartan / Smeal 2002 A345 Spartan / Smeal 2007 A411 Spartan / Smeal 2002 A421 Spartan / Smeal 2006 A423 Spartan / Smeal 2004 A426 Spartan / Smeal 1999 A433 Spartan / Smeal 2002 A441 Spartan / Smeal 1997 PL415 E-One/Superior 2007 PL432 Spartan / Smeal 2006 T114 E-One 2006 T331 E-One 2006 T333 E-One PUMPERS P116 Spartan / Seagrave 2007 2007 P125 Spartan / Smeal 2004 P131 Spartan / Smeal 2005 P132 Spartan / Seagrave 2005 P135 Spartan / Seagrave 2010 P141 Spartan / Crimson 2005 P142 Spartan / Seagrave 2007 P143 Spartan / Smeal 2005 P145 Spartan / Seagrave 2005 P146 Spartan / Seagrave 2010 P211 Spartan / Crimson 2007 P212 Spartan / Smeal 2004 P213 Spartan / Smeal 22

YEAR APPARATUS #

2010 2005 2007 2007 2005 2002 2007 2004 2007 2007 2007 2007 2004 2007 2010 2002 2010 2010 2007 2010 2010 2002 2010 2007 2006 1997 2007 2005 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2005 2007 2007 2002 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007

P215 P222 P223 P224 P226 P227 P232 P233 P234 P242 P244 P245 P311 P313 P314 P315 P322 P323 P324 P325 P331 P332 P333 P334 P335 P335B P342 P343 P344 P413 P415 P422 P424 P426 P431 P432 P433 P442 P443 P445 P422 P424 P426 P431 P432

MANUFACTURER

Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Crimson Spartan / Smeal Ford / Dependable E-One Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal Spartan / Seagrave Spartan / Smeal

YEAR APPARATUS #

MANUFACTURER

2005 P433 Spartan / Seagrave 2007 P442 Spartan / Smeal 2007 P443 Spartan / Seagrave RESCUE PUMPERS 2008 R112 Spartan / Smeal 2008 R115 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R122 Spartan / Smeal 2008 R133 Spartan / Smeal 2000 R134 Spartan / Almonte 2000 R214 Spartan / Almonte 2008 R224 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R225 Spartan / Smeal 2000 R231 Spartan / Almonte 2008 R235 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R241 Spartan / Smeal 2000 R243 Spartan / Almonte 2002 R321 Spartan / Smeal 2000 R325 Spartan / Almonte 2000 R326 Spartan / Almonte 2008 R341 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R345 Spartan / Smeal 2008 R411 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R412 Spartan / Smeal 2002 R413 Spartan / Smeal 2001 R421 Spartan / Almonte 2010 R423 Spartan / Crimson 2002 R425 Spartan / Smeal 2010 R426 Spartan / Crimson 1998 R434 LaFrance / General 2000 R435 Spartan / Almonte 2001 R441 Spartan / Almonte 1998 R444 LaFrance / General SQUADS 2004 S143 Spartan / Seagrave 2004 S232 Spartan / Seagrave 2009 S313 Spartan / Seagrave 1997 S331 Spartan / Almonte 2004 S445 Spartan / Seagrave SPECIALITY TRUCKS 2007 A/L 114 Freightliner / Dependable 2004 A/L 333 Freightliner / Dependable 2010 A/L231 Freightliner / Dependable 2010 A/L421 Freightliner / Dependable 1992 Comm International / Dependable 30

Age of Current Fleet YEAR

SPARE #

2008

Comm 10

1998 1964

Decon 234

FB 334

CAB & CHASSIS

YEAR

Freightliner / PK Vans

1988 Sora

SPARE #

CAB & CHASSIS

2010 2005 2005

HAZ 145 Spartan / Dependable HAZ 332 Spartan / Seagrave High Spartan / Dependable

2005

WT-212 Freightliner / Dependable

YEAR

1988 2005

SPARE #

CAB & CHASSIS

TRS-235 Ford / Dependable WT-212 Freightliner / Dependable

Rise 332

TFS NEW VEHICLE ORDER STATUS - As of March 8, 2011 # of Vehicles

Budget year

New Truck(s)

Builder Chassis/Body

Status

2

2009/10

Air/Light Trucks

Dependable Emergency

Both trucks are in service.

12

2009/10

Rescues / Pumpers

Crimson Fire

The finished trucks have been delivered and are in the process of having radios installed, Mechanical PDI’s, and crew training. Four of these trucks will be placed as Rescues, eight as Pumpers.

1

2010

Demo Aerial

Safetek

The truck has been delivered and outfitted with radios, auto-lube etc. then back to the dealer for some final work, and some warranty repairs. Will be in service mid March.

1

2011

Command Vehicle

TBD

A replacement Command Vehicle is being designed and specified to replace the South unit. This will provide two new units in the fleet with Command-10 now in service, and leave the current Command-30 as a good spare for use when either are out of service, or on-scene for extended periods. The design has been finalized while realizing any improvements that can be made on the design of Command-10.

12

2010

DC Vans

Donway Ford

12 full size vans were ordered for new DC vehicles. They have been delivered and outfitted with interior cabinets, decals, and emergency lighting. A number of the vans are in service, with thte remainder following in sequence. These vans are gasoline powered to avoid the issues with 2010 emission compliant diesel engines, reduce noise, and warm up quicker as requested by a number of DC’s.

2

2011

Rear-mount Aerials

TBD

The specification is currently being revised to go to bid for a minimum of two rear-mount Aerial trucks.

1

2011

Squad

TBD

The specification is currently being revised to go to bid for a new squad to replace 331, the oldest in the fleet.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 23

Toronto Fire Services Response Statistics - 1998-2010 1998 Total Number of Incidents

112,282

Change from previous year

Total Number of Unit Responses Change from previous year

210,593

1999

2000

12001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

114,314

114,086

116,649

127,055

133,267

130,500

140,516

139,368

142,515

142,087

142,014

144,407

1.8%

-0.2%

2.2%

8.9%

4.9%

-2.1%

7.7%

-0.8%

2.3%

-0.3%

0.1%

1.7%

255,605

260,576

263,388

253,868

306,560

293,023

303,606

294,660

297,287

289,460

278,281

276,729

21.4%

1.9%

1.1%

-3.6%

20.8%

-4.4%

3.6%

-2.9%

0.9%

-2.6%

-3.9%

-0.6%

The total percentage of change in the number of incidents run between 1998 and 2010 was +28.6% The total percentage of change in the number of unit responses between 1998 and 2010 was +31.4%

90th percentile Response Time Dispatch to Arrival

6:33

6:31

6:36

6:31

6:41

6:44

6:40

6:42

90th percentile Response Time Enroute to Arrival

5:46

5:45

5:52

5:48

4:49

4:49

4:51

4:53

The drop in “enroute to arrival� time from 2006 to 2007 relates to a change in the way the time stamps are recorded. The overall dispatch to arrival time (also shown above) does not reflect this same decrease.

TFS Response Statistics: 1998 - 2010 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000

2010 Calls by Event Type

100,000 50,000 0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total Number of Incidents

24

Total Number of Unit Responses

Check Call

6,435

4.5%

Carbon Monoxide

4,121

2.9%

Fire Alarm Ringing

23,950

16.6%

Fire

8,923

6.2%

Gas Leak

538

0.4%

Hazardous Materials

1,731

1.2%

Medical Call

83,196

57.6%

Rescue

2,476

1.7%

Vehicle Incident

11,315

7.8%

Wires Down

889

0.6%

Other

833

0.6%

144,407

100%

&

FIRE FIGHTER

SURVIVAL RESCUE &

By Geoff Boisseau and John McGill, Toronto Fire Fighters

IT TAKES A VILLAGE I

t has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. It can also be said that it takes a village to save a fire fighter.

If a fire fighter gets into trouble on a fire ground, what steps need to be taken by everyone involved? What is our individual AND group responsibilities as a part of the fire fighting ‘village’ that will help ensure a positive outcome? That outcome being that you make it back to safety, and most importantly, to your family.

Just as there are many components to a village, there are similarly, many components to saving a fire fighter. Over the next few issues, we are going to discuss fireground components such as training, personal preparation and PPE, communications, incident command, rescue teams and others that all play an important part in any fire fighter rescue.

Laurence Gonzales, our instincts come from our training. In order to avoid panic in an emergency situation you should follow these three steps:

Training Your first experience in dealing with a MAYDAY should NOT be when the actual emergency happens. You must train for a MAYDAY. When you find yourself in trouble and your personal safety is in jeopardy, you will naturally rely on your instincts.

You can’t afford to panic. If you panic, odds are you are only going to make your situation worse.

According to the author of “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why,”

Your body goes through other changes when under stress and panic: “Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed, “the stress hormone,” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. However, a small increase of cortisol can have some positive effects as well: • A quick burst of energy for sur-

Breathe: • Controlled steady breathing.

Organize: • Follow a plan with logical steps.

Act: • Take action and perform the steps in order.

Gonzales also says, “Cortisol and other hormones interfere with perceptions and decision-making. This results in: • Seeing less; • Hearing less; • Missing cues from the environment; and • Making mistakes.”

vival reasons; • Heightened memory functions; • A burst of increased immunity; • Lower sensitivity to pain; • Helps maintain homeostasis in the body.”1 It follows then, that in order to take advantage of these positive effects of cortisol, we need to have enough confidence in our skills and abilities that we minimize our stress level, and thus, the negative effects it can have on us. The only way to have confidence in our skills then is to train. Train as realistically and as frequently as possible. If our actions in an emergency make our situation worse, then obviously our chance for a positive outcome is significantly decreased. It is vital that in an emergency we react in such a way that will assist us in solving our problem, and the best way to do this is through training. Your ‘smarts’ will not get you out of trouble, your training might.

Remember: ‘Train as if your life depends on it…because it does.’

In our next article, we will discuss the steps you can take to ensure that you will be prepared to handle a fireground emergency.

1. Cortisol and Stress: How to Stay Healthy by Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 25

We at Starfield-Lion are thankful for the continued support and partnership with the Toronto Fire Services.

We look forward to fulfilling the personal safety and identity needs of the Toronto fire fighters for the next five years.

YOUR PENSION

OPTIONS VOLUME 3

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ISSUE 3 | FALL 2007

Captain John A. Chappelle

1954 - 2007 VOLUME 4

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2008 ISSUE 1 | SPRING

FIRE HALL SHO

Publications Agreement

No:

41203011 WCASE: Fire Station 315

TFS Demographics Where do you fit in?

VOLUME 4

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ISSUE 2 | SUMMER 2008

Would You Escape a Fire in An d thHom e?ard e Aw Your

Goes To...

Publications Agreement No: 41203011

Local 388 Station 116 Fire 8 hos FIREHALL SHOWCASE: ts annual Media Awards

Due to popular demand, we will be offering a subscription service to all those who do not currently receive a copy of Toronto Fire Watch or would like more than one copy of each issue.

The total cost of the subscription will be $20.00 per year to cover shipping and handling. You will receive, to the address specified on the card below, 4 issues of Toronto Fire Watch (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter).

You MUST fill out the accompanying card and return it, along with a cheque.

Publications Agreement

No: 41203011

Who Helps Chi ldre Who Set Fires?n A look at the TAPP -C Program

FIRE HALL SHO

WCASE: Fire Station

224

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Last

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Apt. #

City

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Mail to: 39 Commissioners Street, M5A 1A6, Toronto Make Cheques payable to the T.P.F.F.A.

26

k n a h T

! n y l i r a M You January 10, 2011

To the 3888 Executive Board, Friends and Co-Workers Hello Everyone, Thank you for making my last week at Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association so memorable.

I had over 19 years of fun working with you. My only regret was that I did not begin working sooner with such a wonderful group of people. You treated me like family and each of you, in your own way, made every day special. I have so many memories of things that happened at work and at our various events. I was very proud to be a part of your Organization.

I am looking forward to dropping in for lunch and staying in touch.

Thanks again so much for the computer. It was a fantastic gift and every time I use it, I will remember and thank you all.

Marilyn

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 27

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28

GETTING FIT…AGAIN and supportive manner.

“We are all aware that fire fighting can be one of the most rewarding careers one can choose. However, we also know that there are inherent health risks associated with the job.

In the upcoming issues of Toronto Fire Watch, we will highlight personal experiences of some of our members who have made some positive lifestyle changes, resulting in significant outcomes for their lives and also for their families.

Your Association and Toronto Fire Services are working together in the development of a proactive and comprehensive health and wellness program, addressing the needs of all staff in areas that include medical and behavioural health, physical fitness, injury prevention and rehabilitation in a non-punitive

I

We thank all participants who are sharing their stories, as they encourage each of us to think about how our lifestyle choices today will impact our health throughout our career and into retirement.”

John Tuffner shares his story with Wellness/Fitness STI, Tim McDonald

n the early to mid 1990’s, John Tuffner worked full-time in a physically demanding position as a crew leader with a metal racking company. But he had another goal – to become a fire fighter. He went to school part-time and trained to achieve the fitness necessary to pass the York University Fire Fighter Fitness Test. In 1996, John’s hard work and commitment were rewarded. That fall, the City of Etobicoke hired John as a fire fighter.

When John began his fire fighting career, he weighed in at about 210 lbs. Over the next ten years, he gradually gained another 40 lbs. Two young children involved in extra-curricular activities, a house to maintain and repair, part-time and volunteer work, active in Local 3888, a member of the Executive Board in 2007 and 2008, all took their toll on his health and fitness. His story is all too familiar – his time was not his own.

What was the tipping point? Actually, it was a number of things. John says that there wasn’t one particular event or call that became his motivation. He just didn’t feel like himself. He was fatigued at calls and struggled to keep up at times. After an unsuccessful attempt to get re-elected to the 3888 Executive Board near the end of 2008, over-eating and inactivity during the holiday season, he just felt that it was time for a change. In January of 2009, weighting in at close to 250 lbs., John decided to try a popular workout DVD series call P90X. This program leads the participant through a series of different workouts every day for 90 days. Taking those first steps and beginning the program was definitely difficult, John says. In hindsight, he probably should have started with something a little less demanding. But, he was determined to change. The first couple of weeks were the hardest. John had to work through muscle soreness and fatigue, but then he says, it be-

comes part of your routine, part of your life. Eventually, he came to the point, where if he missed a workout, he felt like he was cheating, and all of his previous hard work was being wasted. Now, says John, his day only feels complete if he has done a workout.

In the spring of 2009, John had a consultation at Shouldice Hospital for a suspected hernia (not as a result of his exercise routine!) The doctors told him that they would not operate until he lost 35 lbs. “I haven’t weighed 210 lbs in years,” was John’s reaction. Shouldice suggested a diet lower in carbohydrates and processed foods. Armed with this information, more knowledge of portion control, and an assortment of workout DVDs, John worked hard and lost those 40 lbs. and continues to keep it off to this day.

John has regained some control of his time. His children are older but he is still active in our Association and continues to volunteer. John is more disciplined with the use of his free time, both at work and at home.

He has figured out what works for him. He prefers to workout in private with a structured program he can follow. He advises that everyone is different and needs to find out what works for them. Getting started and sticking with it for those first few weeks is the key. A spin bike, a treadmill, and fitness classes at a club – none of these were for John. But he is proof that you can tone and build muscle, work your heart and burn calories in a small space with limited equipment.

John’s advice: “Find out what works for you, control your portion sizes and just eat a healthy diet. Be disciplined and make your workout part of your routine. Starting out is a bit challenging, but then it becomes easier, and soon it becomes who you are.”

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 29

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Environmental Health Solutions

30

Local 3888 Annual Picnic Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Wild Water Kingdom

Registration is required to attend the Picnic.

Registration deadline June 20, 2011.

Entrance tickets and T-shirts for the children will be given out at the registration desk at Wild Water Kingdom on the day of the Picnic.

Kids 12 and under will receive a FREE T-shirt.

The Picnic will run from 10 am until 4 pm.

There will be races and activities for both children and adults.

If you are working on July 13th, discounted tickets can be purchased by completing the registration form.

Discounted tickets will be available for pick-up after July 13th, at the Association Office. The registration deadline of June 20th applies for this option as well.

Park Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Admission Cost: •$ 15.00 for Local 3888 members or retirees and their immediate family (living in the household) •$ 15.00 for children guests, aged 4 to 9 years. (regular admission is $22.48 plus applicable taxes) •$ 25.00 for adult guests aged 10 years and over. (regular admission is $29.96 plus applicable taxes) • Children 3 and under are FREE Parking: $10.00 Lunch: Included with admission (BBQ lunch and drink)

Picnic T-Shirt Design Contest Hey Kids, please design our 2011 Picnic Giveaway T-Shirt and win a prize.

Deadline is May 28th.

Send your submission to Bill McKee at 39 Commissioners Street.

Open to Local 3888 members’ children aged 14 and under.

Size 9 x 9", square or circle, max. 4 colors

Winning design will get $100.00.

Second Place will get $50.00.

7855 Finch Ave. W., Brampton, Ontario L6T 0B2 From 401 * Take Hwy 427 north past Hwy 401, exit at Finch Ave and head west approx 2 Km. Public Tranist * Take GO bus from Yorkdale or Yorkmills Subway* Take Mississauga Transit Route 22 or Brampton Route 1131 S P R I N G 2 0 1 1Transit | F I R E WATCH

First Inaugural PATRICK J. DE FAZIO Health and Safety Seminar

By Hugh Doherty, Chair, Local 3888 Health & Safety Committee

O

nce again, Health and Safety members attended the annual OPFFA Health and Safety Seminar, now named the Patrick J. De Fazio Health and Safety Seminar, from Monday February 7th till Thursday February 10th.

This year was different for a number of reasons.

First, the number of participants and the trade show exhibitors had out grown the previous location. We were now at the Delta Chelsea Hotel.

Secondly, the annual seminar had been named after Patrick J. De Fazio. Delegates at the last Annual OPFFA Convention bestowed the honour upon Pat. We were greeted by an address from OPFFA President, Fred Leblanc. Mr. De Fazio then addressed the delegates and spoke of his personal gratitude for the honour. Pat’s message was just as it is when having a beer with him after session, direct and to the point, no sugar coating the issue. He stressed the need for the delegates at the seminar to remain true to our principals as health and safety advocates and to ensure that our workplaces are safe. Further, that it doesn’t matter what job or function we all perform as members of the fire service, to do it safely.

Day one had presentations from Mark McKinnon, Executive VP of the OPFFA on Operational Planning: An Official Guide to Matching Resource Deployment and Risk.

We also had a presentation from the Honourable Charles Sousa, Minister of Labour.

Later that afternoon, Mike Wieder, Executive Director of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), conducted a presentation on Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Safety. His presentation 32

was very informative. It was also very timely, as your Health and Safety Committee had been addressing concerns regarding blocker trucks and the placement of reflective striping with TFS management. Many positive ideas were presented during Mr. Weider’s presentation on accidents involving fire and police vehicles.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the delegates were split into two groups for the workshop portion of the program. The topics discussed were: • Pandemic Research by Paul Smertanin • Responding to incidents involving Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

by Jason Emery, Waterbury CT. FD • Apparatus Accidents Overview by Gord Hampson, Whitby Fire • The Fire Fighters’ Health Manual by Juilanne McMullen • Ministry of Labour Presentation by Karen Hanna, MOL • WSIB and Health and Safety Cancer Trends by Paul Atkinson and Colin Grieve • Post Incident Medical Testing Protocol

by Jim Holmes, London FFA • Presentation on NFPA Standards 1981 and 1982 by Trevor Picard, MSA • First Responder Interoperability and 3D Accountability by Andrew Kostiuk, TFS In addition, other workshops were offered which included hands on participation. These courses were: • OHSA Level 1 Certification classes being instructed by the Public services Health and Safety Association. By John Parrish

• Fireground Survival by Geoff Boseau, Local 3888 and the Self mation which will assist your health and safety representatives in Rescue Instructors who volunteered achieving the goals of everyone going home safe after every shift • Wellness and Fitness Initiative Instructors Course By the IAFF and mitigating the long-term affects of our profession.

Those attending from Local 3888 were Ed Kennedy, Hugh An issue affecting us all is the visibility of our apparatus/cars at Doherty, John Maclachlan, Geoff Boisseau, Paul Mogavero, Tom night, blocker trucks and fire fighter safety on the roads. We were Karnas, Mike Russell and John Woodbury. able to receive the presentation on Emergency Road Safety. This As Pat De Fazio spoke at the opening remarks, I am sure he was seminar provided valuable resources on emergency vehicle visibility immensely humbled and proud to have his name associated with along with information on warning lamp intensity on driver’s vi- this seminar. He is known as a first class individual who stuck to sions. This has, and will continue to assist us in ensuring that when his values and principles, and who now witnesses those values and we are on a highway/roadway that our vehicles provide the greatest principles carried on in the OPFFA’s annual Health and Safety Semivisibility and enhance fire fighter safety, while we work to mitigate nar. any emergency.

Job very well done, and a fitting honour to a long-serving Health In conclusion, this seminar continually provides valuable infor- and Safety advocate.

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Victor Onisko Director and C.E.O.

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S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 33

Member Profile

By Tony Macdonald, Retired Toronto Fire Captain

Have you ever wondered if your poker skills were good enough to play with the pros you’ve seen on TV? Jim Trenholm did.

Jim is a 42-year-old Toronto Fire Fighter at Station 215 on C platoon.

He is a medical STI and has a diverse medical background, including two decades as a Registered Nurse.

TONY MACDONALD: Hi Jim, thank you for taking the time to share your story in Fire Watch with our members. I’m sure it will be an interesting read.

JIM TRENHOLM: Thank you, I always look forward to the issues of Fire Watch. You guys do a great job showcasing the stories of some of the brothers and sisters within Toronto Fire. There is a term in poker that describes everything that forms the character of a player, including all the information gained away from the poker table. It’s called the metagame. You guys do a great job of filling in the metagame of the fire fighters.

34

TM: Metagame? That’s a term I’ve never heard before.

JT: Sure, it fits well in this case. The metagame in poker is all the information you’ve learned about a player that may influence your decisions in a game. It’s going beyond the mechanics of the game – the bets, chips and cards – to take in things like physical or verbal tells, your opponent’s emotional state, your history with a particular opponent, and even how you yourself are perceived at the table. Your magazine tells the stories of fire fighters away from the fire hall. It’s amazing how

Photo: Kevin Hardinge - torontofirepics.com

J

im has also played poker for about as long as he’s been a fire fighter.

Two years ago, Jim became a successful poker player. He has played in high stakes poker tournaments on three different continents and his tournament winnings are in the six figures. Jim plays all forms of Texas Hold’em Poker but prefers the tournament format.

Competitive by nature, he has medals from International sporting competitions through the fire service. Jim is proud of his silver medal from the 2005 World Police and Fire Games in Indoor Men’s Volleyball and a bronze medal in Men’s Golf at the 2008 Canadian Law Enforcement and Fire Games.

I met with Jim for a discussion of his very interesting professional life and the pursuit of his poker escapades. Here is what he had to say:

on Jim Trenholm many of our members I have crossed paths with on the job but never knew the colorful lives they lead outside the walls of the fire hall, until I read their profile in Fire Watch.

TM: I understand that you’ve had some success on the felt?

JT: Yes, I’ve been very fortunate playing a game that I love. I enjoy the many levels of a seemingly simple game. What do they say about golf? It takes an hour to learn but a lifetime to master.

That’s why I consider myself a student of the game of poker. I still learn something new each and every game, since I started playing poker.

TM: When DID you start playing poker?

JT: I played cards all my life but only played poker very occasionally on vacations or trips with the guys. I was really treating the money I lost, as the cost of entertainment. When I was hired by the East York Fire Department in 1997, I started to play poker after work with the guys from my hall and our friends. With shift work, we were all off at the same odd hours and we ended up spending our time off playing golf or just hanging out playing poker. We would play friendly games of dealer’s choice poker.

We had some really fun games when I played with those guys. Chicago with the option, Follow the Queen, Russian, Crazy Loo. TM: Did you show promise back then?

JT: Actually, it was the opposite. I financed a lot of pocket change for those guys. I did enjoy the friendly competition, but even though it was small stakes I didn’t enjoy handing over my money. I asked myself, ”Why are the same guys winning and the same guys losing? If poker was all about luck, shouldn’t I win more often?”

TM: So what did you do to end up where you are today? Do you have any advice for casual weekend poker players?

JT: Absolutely, I’ll tell you the blueprint I followed, which also helped me enjoy poker more because I stopped losing as often. I call it the 4 “P’s” of poker. I refer back to this at times when my train of thought becomes derailed. The 4 “P’s” are like spokes on a wheel. If one spoke is missing, then the wheel doesn’t turn very smoothly. Chances are if you have a leak in your game, the reason likely falls under one or two of these categories.

TM: What are the 4 “P’s”?

JT: The first “P” stands for Patience. Most players simply play too many hands. Just because you could potentially have the best hand with a little luck, doesn’t mean you should chase the hand to the river praying for your miracle card. When you are trying to build a large chip stack in a tournament you should tighten up and play fewer hands early on. Play better quality hands until you accumulate a stack large enough to broaden your quality of starting hands a bit later in the tournament. The general accepted rule for the majority of most tournaments is playing

just under 20% of the hands you are dealt. That’s a good bar to set for yourself if you think you might be playing too many hands.

Did you know that any two random hole cards are expected to miss connecting with the flop roughly 70% of the time? This brings us to the second P, which stands for Practice. All the poker websites offer free games to practice. With experience comes self-education. There are countless books on all forms of poker available at bookstores or the library, or now, even at the click of a mouse. The internet has vast, information from web sites, blogs and free online magazines such as www.Canadapoker.com that offer poker news and forums to talk strategy or answer any and all of your questions about anything poker. If you hear, ”I have a 16% chance to fill in my gut shot straight draw on the turn,” and are not sure what that means, navigate to that website and educate yourself.

TM: How important are luck and math in poker?

JT: Wow, excellent question. Luck is definitely a factor for success in poker. Remember, any two random starting cards can be dealt to each player. Sometimes you get good cards, sometimes they are average, and other times they are just plain terrible. Knowing the strategy and the math of poker will enable you to capitalize on the luck when it comes your way. Just as importantly, it will enable you to avoid the low percentage situations when luck favors your opponent. By learning poker math you can tip the scales in your favour if luck is distributed equally; to make the plays when the percentages are in your favor; and fold the hands when they are not. It is a mistake to stay in a hand simply because you have a lucky feeling you may win.

TM: How large a part of your poker strategy is the mathematics?

JT: Very simple math calculations are a big component of successful poker strategy, but after a while, the calculations become repetitive and automatic. Much like using EMCAP or a scene survey at fire calls. Not too many fire fighters hold out their fingers and recite the acronym EMCAP when they approach a scene to ensure their safety. It becomes second nature. If you can figure out percentages and take into account that there are 52 cards in a deck and 13 cards in each suit, you can figure out the chances of making your optimal poker hand.

The third part of a winning strategy is Position. This refers to your seat position in relation to the dealer. The best seat position during a poker tournament is being the button, or in Canada we like to call the button, “the puck.” When you are the button, you are last to act in a poker hand and get a chance to see what all the other player’s decisions are before you have to make up your mind as to what you want to do in the hand. That is an incredible advantage. Inversely, joining a hand from an early position leaves you vulnerable to players acting after you who may raise the bet. Which may force you to make a tough decision. So, make positional awareness an important part of your game strategy.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 35

Member Profile Member Profile ... Continued from page 35

TM: This is great, Jim, what is the 4th “P”?

JT: Practice, Patience, Position and the final broad category for successful poker is Persistence. Tournament poker is popular and rewarding.

Compared to golf, where at one time, Tiger Woods won everything he entered, poker is a different animal. There are an infinitesimal number of outcomes when you take into account all the decisions, of all the hands of every player over the duration of a tournament. It’s true that the same faces are successful more often but the same person does not win every time they play. Profitable poker comes with practicing and playing many games. Persistence, in combination with education and continually striving to fix leaks in your game will allow you to have fun and not treat poker like an expense of entertainment. So keep at it, learn something every time you play and avoid making the same mistake twice.

TM: You have a good way of explaining things. I can see why you have taught the Fire Career Preparation course at Seneca College and are an EMS Shift Training Instructor. Some of the people that you work with may not know you are still working as a Registered Nurse.

JT: Teaching became a natural progression with my health care background. Over the last decade, health promotion has been a focus of health care. The change in approach successfully reduced hospital visits through illness prevention. This concept, coupled with discharge instruction, successfully eased the burden on the hospital system and decreased the cost of hospitalization, while promoting safe and healthier lifestyles. With all that teaching, I merely continued that experience into the fire service.

TM: Which came first, being an Emergency Department RN, or fire fighting?

JT: I was a nurse first. I’ve been an RN for 21 years now and I am still practicing today. After eight years full time in the ER, I was hired by the East York Fire Department and have done both occupations ever since.

In the last two years, I have retired from the ER and work in the private sector for Dr. David Eller, managing patient care and administering IV sedation to his patients.

TM: Which occupation do you look forward to most?

JT: Nursing and fire fighting are polar opposites of each other. At the hospital, I work indoors under fluorescent lights with sterile equipment.

I am within an arm’s reach of a telephone where I can request diagnostic tests, a doctor or countless other disciplines for assistance. At the fire hall, I work outdoors with heavy machinery and tools under all different weather conditions. We typically get dirty as fire fighters. I enjoy the diversity of both occupations for those reasons and that’s why I’ve continued to maintain both careers for the last 14 years.

TM: Do you think the experience gained from your two careers have made you a better poker player?

JT: Absolutely. Both occupations have given me the experience to re36

main calm and think when I am nervous or under pressure. That is very important, so that you don’t give away any information to another player that they could use to beat you in a hand.

TM: That’s called a “tell”, isn’t it?

JT: It sure is. If your hands start to shake when you get a big hand, your opponent will most likely not give you the outcome you are after. Tells are a topic that I could go on and on about. There is information on tells for every body part, every way imaginable to sit, how much or how little you talk and the list goes on and on.

TM: Is reading tells about another player a big part of dominating your opponent? Is that why you wear sunglasses when you play?

JT: I don’t think reading tells are a huge part of all your decisions. That happens later in a tournament, when you and others have let their guard down and have relaxed. You can make note of this information to use in the future. The terms “data collection and frequency” are important here. If a player throws a big bet out after seeing the flop he likes, leans back in his chair, holds his head high, and talks up a whirlwind at the table. This demonstrates confidence. He is likely holding a strong hand, so see if he wins the hand and collect data for the next time that player does the same thing. The next time, when you are in a big hand with him, you may want to control the pot size as best as you can and get ready to lay your hand down if you are not holding a huge hand. That example seems obvious but tells something as slight and subconscious as how fast you blink your eyes. If your opponent is uncharacteristically blinking his eyes rapidly when he has to make a decision, it may be because he has a drawing hand or he is only marginally strong and has to think of the best way to play the hand. He may be figuring out a calculation and focusing intensely deciding what to do.

Rapid eye movements are directly proportionate to brain activity. You may take that into consideration in a future hand. That is one of the reasons why I wear sunglasses at times during a poker tournament. I want to conceal the things I can’t control while concealing my observations of other players so they don’t damper anything while I’m doing my own data collection on their tells. Tells are easy to feign so use your data cautiously and remember tells are merely a tool in a toolbox of skills you can use to attain an advantage over your opponents.

TM: Tell us about your biggest win.

JT: During the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, sports channels began showing more poker on television, which resulted in the catalyst for the poker boom we have today.’ High Stakes poker is a unique competition.

You or I could not wake up on a Thursday and say, “I think I’ll play in the Pebble Beach Open with Mike Weir today.” However, if you can come up with the entry fee for a professional poker tournament, you can enter and play with all the players you see on television.

Financially, my biggest win was two years ago and that’s when I started to play poker more seriously. I wanted to play in a professional tournament and experience the excitement. I started a home game with some friends to raise the $10,000 entry fee and each week for 25

on Jim Trenholm Omaha game. I don’t bet on the horses or do any sports betting. I’m just a guy who plays poker that has success here and there. If I can combine two of my passions of poker and travel and keep winning poker packages to some exotic and distant locales, it’s a win - win situation.

weeks, we played and kept score. We agreed that the winner would use the winnings to enter the World Poker Tour tournament in Niagara Falls. We also agreed that we would all share in any winnings, based on how we placed during our 25-week season. I was fortunate to win the $11,000 first place prize and entered the $10,000 WPT tournament called the North American Poker Championships. I played for 12 hours a day over almost a week and from the original 454 players in the tournament, I got to play at the final TV table with four top pros, and another amateur.

TM: Have you had any other big wins?

JT: I have been successful online playing on www.Cakepoker.com and recently I traveled to Calgary, Alberta for the Canadian Poker Tour’s, Canadian Open Poker Championships. I am particularly happy to have final tabled event #10 there. It’s nice to get a good result in your home country – and the purse is tax free!

TM: How much did you get to share with your buddies?

JT: The winner of that tournament took home $1.2 million. Sixth place paid over $150,000. I managed to get a poker site sponsor and that’s really where my poker journey began. When the group of us came back home we had a great party. It sure was quite a feeling to hand out those cheques to my friends for $13,500, $10,000 and so on.

TM: Does your family travel with you when you play poker abroad?

JT: I love to travel with my family as often as I can. My son Nick and my wife Chantal travel with me when the opportunity presents itself.

School and work schedules often conflict, but I love to seize the opportunity to travel around the world and share those experiences with my family. Chantal has been on TV with me, we were in London, England together for the English Poker Open on our wedding anniversary and Nick absolutely loved Las Vegas. My father surprised me by arranging to attend a tournament in Dublin, Ireland and supported me there. It was a thoughtful and touching surprise that I won’t soon forget.

TM: Are you and your buddies still playing in your poker house league?

JT: Yes, some of the same guys and I are still playing in Season 3 of the Scorpion Poker House League.

Photo: Kevin Hardinge - torontofirepics.com

TM: You said “another amateur” but you were playing in a professional tournament. Do you consider yourself an amateur, or a professional poker player?

JT: I consider myself an amateur for sure. I don’t play poker for a living and I’m not sure I want the pressure a professional poker player has playing cards to pay the mortgage. The only poker games I play competitively are Texas Hold’em but I’m constantly trying to improve my

TM: That’s fantastic, Jim. What’s new in poker and what’s next for you in the poker world?

JT: Texas Hold’em poker was around before cowboys rode horses to the saloons. Not much has changed in the game since then. Rules have been added for technology and multimedia marketability but the game is the same. I applied for a patent to use Radio Frequency Identifier Tags in the table and in each chip in a tournament, making chip totaling as easy as pressing the trigger on a scanner gun. I thought that would speed up the online updates to my favorite high stakes tournaments when I followed them online. My application was met with incredible enthusiasm, which got me very excited. However, I missed filing the patent application by just a few months when someone else had the same good idea just a short time earlier and locked up the patent registration.

Something new in poker that is relevant to our chat today is the big online poker sites promoting, “Home Games,” via the conduit of their online poker site. Hmmm, looks like what’s old is new again.

What’s next for me in poker? I enjoyed Europe a great deal, and I hope to go back a third time in April. I have to try and move up a few more spots in the Scorpion Poker League. Then I’ll prepare for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in June. There are always local tournaments to continue my training and practice for the big games.

Don’t forget the 4 Ps of poker. They apply to us all.

TM: Good luck to you on and off the poker table, and with the Officer Promotional process. Hopefully, we’ll hear more good results from the poker table in the months to come.

JT: Thank you for your well wishes, it’s been my pleasure. Please keep up the great work with the magazine.

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THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT OUR ADVERTISERS!

38

Preventable Events

By Paul Atkinson and Bill McKee

A

n injury due to a work accident is not something that we plan on having occur to us. We know that there is a potential for injuries occurring, due to the hazardous nature of our profession, but often the attitude is that injuries happen to someone else.

All types of injuries: major, minor, physical or other, have an impact on all Local 3888 members. When an accident results in an injury, do you know what to do?

First and most importantly, 3888 members should stop thinking of accidents as freak occurrences that just happen. Accidents are all preventable events. When we use the terminology of a preventable event, we are trying to shift the culture of the fire fighters to accept responsibility for their personal and collective actions.

There is not one incident that results in an injury that cannot be dissected to determine what went wrong and what the chain of events were that led to a preventable event occurring.

Most injuries are the result of a series of minor events that culminate in an injury, often to a person who was not the sole offender in the series of unfortunate mistakes.

Regardless, if a preventable event occurs, which results in a personal injury in the course of employment, you, as a member should be prepared and aware of the correct forms, policies and procedures to best protect your rights, with respect to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits.

When an injury occurs, minor or major, that preventable event needs to be reported immediately to your immediate supervisor. Once reported, the supervisor is required to complete a “Supervisor’s Report of Injury” and it is highly advisable that the member complete a WSIB Form 6. All of these forms are available on the TFS intranet site. Once the forms are complete, they are transferred up through the chain of command and the forms are sent to the TFS Medical Department. Once the forms arrive at the Medical Department, other documents are completed and forwarded to the WSIB to initiate a claim for benefits.

It is important to understand that not all injuries are reportable to the WSIB. Only injuries that result in medical treatment, lost time or modified work longer than seven days are reported to WSIB. All other occurrences are maintained on file for future reference should they be required in or-

der to establish a disability later on in your career. A good example of the usefulness of this type of ongoing documentation is the cumulative back injury over one’s career. Documentation in this profession is very important, and that should be applied to minor injury documentation as well.

A major recurring problem with fire service members, generally speaking, is a tendency to not report injuries immediately. Fire fighters try to work through many obstacles, but when it comes to a personal injury, immediate reporting cannot be understated.

WSIB is best described as a game. WSIB has a playing field with boundaries, rules and regulations. As long as you play within the field and abide by the rules and regulations, generally speaking, you will not have problems in the early stages of a WSIB claim. When people make their own rules or go out of bounds, then problems with WSIB are sure to develop.

If you follow the trio of immediate requirements, then you will not have WSIB issues.

1. Immediate reporting of injury to your supervisor 2. Immediate medical treatment 3. Immediate lost time from work Regardless of the severity of the injury, have your supervisor complete a supervisor’s report and you should complete the Form 6. The documentation is in the individual’s best interest for long-term protection. Members should also verse themselves on the requirements of return to work in a modified capacity, compliance with the TFS return to work form and the submission requirements of that document.

By adhering to the principles of health & safety, as well as essential risk management, members can reduce the risk of suffering a preventable event, which results in a personal injury. When all members take the proper time to complete the tasks that they are assigned, to the highest level of compliance, which would include simple tasks like checking our PPE or complex tasks at the fire ground, you reduce the chances that you are one in a chain of unfortunate events that lead to a personal injury.

If you are unsure of how to proceed with respect to a workplace injury, contact a member of the WSIB committee for advice and guidance.

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Station 135

By MATT DUNN, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTER

S

ituated on the south side of Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto Fire Station 135 resides within the former Village of Forest Hill.

Approaching its 80th anniversary in the coming year, Station 135 remains one of the oldest and most unique fire halls in North Command.

For many residents within the Township of York, the early 1920s was a period of great discontent. Specifically among those in the area then referred to as Spadina Heights, hopes to form a new ‘City of York’ arose with increasing community uproar over land development and public services. Although Township of York residents defeated this proposal, it ultimately resulted in the formation of the much smaller Village of Forest Hill by December of 1923.

Despite having a mere 2,100 residents, spanning 450 households at the time, Forest Hill quickly established their municipal services, including both a Police Force and Fire Department by 1924. Throughout the next decade, the Forest Hill Fire Department underwent a number of changes, particularly under the direction of combined Chief Constable and Fire Chief W.G. Fraser, who was appointed in 1926.

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By 1930, Chief Fraser began significantly increasing fire fighting resources with the purchase of additional hose, a hand light, a reducing play nozzle, and two primitive smoke masks for use by Forest Hill Fire Fighters. The Chief also added two full-time members to the department, at a time when volunteers, who received an allowance for training time and call responses, still largely served it.

As head of the Police and Fire Departments in Forest Hill, Chief Fraser advised that a joint Fire & Police Station be built on Eglinton Avenue West. By October of 1931, Fraser received authorization to move forward. After employing two architects in March 1932, the tender for construction by C.O. Waters was accepted one month later in the amount of $17,419.80.

December of 1932 marked the completion of the Forest Hill Fire & Police Station at 641 Eglinton Avenue West. The station was built to include two apparatus bays and the fire hall on the east side of the building, the police station on the west, and a complete apartment unit on the upper floor, to be occupied by Chief Fraser as of January 1, 1933. Before the end of the decade, the growth in the community would have the station completely staffed by full-time fire fighters and two full-time apparatus.

One of the most significant changes that occurred over the next two decades was the unification of Forest Hill Police with Metropolitan Toronto on January 1, 1957. Though Metropolitan Toronto Police still had access to the station, their use gradually diminished by 1958, as most of the 31 officers, formerly of Forest Hill, began reporting to an alternate location.

Shortly after the unification of the police, the Village of Forest Hill submitted a report on the feasibility of unifying several fire departments in Metropolitan Toronto. While they were in favour of unifying the police in 1957, there was minimal support to do the same with the fire departments as Forest Hill, York Township and Toronto already had mutual aid agreements in place. Despite this resistance, the Village of Forest Hill, along with the Village of Swansea, were both annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967. The old Forest Hill Fire Station was quickly renamed Station 29 and over 30 fire fighters were brought into the Toronto Fire Department, where many had long careers. On January 1st, 1967, the first call for Station 29 after joining the Toronto Fire Department was to fill in for crews at Station 28 on Montgomery Ave, as they had responded to a 3rd alarm fire on Bayview Avenue.

Having previously been independent of Toronto, Station 29 has had a number of unique S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 41

HEAD OFFICE: 95 COMMANDER BLVD., TORONTO, ON, CAN M1S 3S9 PHONE: (416) 291-5308 • TOLL FREE: 1-800-263-3393 • FAX: (416) 291-0305 E-MAIL: info@leland.ca

ISO / IEC 17025

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MANUFACTURERS OF FASTENERS

Station 135 ... Continued from page 41 rigs throughout its history. As of January 1st, 1967, a 1966 Ford/King-Seagrave 1000 gpm pumper was in use, which did not have a canopy cab and required the crew to ride the rear step of the truck. This truck was moved to Toronto Fire Station 31 in 1978, where it remained until 1987. The frontline aerial used at the time of annexation was a 1956 LaFrance 700-series 100’ aerial that also had distinct features from other trucks in Toronto at the time.

In addition to having the siren mounted low on the nose of the rig, as opposed to above the windshield, it also possessed a 60’ Bangor ground ladder, which was 10’ longer than any other in the city at the time. Until 1987, this remained one of the frontline rigs at Station 29. Other distinct units that were once housed in Forest Hill included both a fire jeep and a 700-series LaFrance 840 gpm pumper. The jeep was in use as a quick response unit until annexation, while the pumper was the spare truck by 1967. Although the Toronto Fire Department had ordered many open cab aerials, all of its 700-series LaFrance pumpers had been ordered as canopy cabs, making this spare the only 700-series LaFrance open cab pumper on the Toronto Fire Department.

When permanently removed from service, it was installed in the children’s playground at 1717 Dundas St. W., the site of former Toronto Fire Department Station 13. The truck remained there for several years until it became unsafe and was removed.

The station now houses a far more modern 1999 Spartan/Smeal aerial and 2005 Spartan/ Seagrave pumper, but much of the station’s history is still visible. Although the building has not been used by police for many years, the west end of its basement is still outfitted with two prison cells and it also remains the only station in the city without a front apron for the trucks to pull onto. Because of this, for several years, a special warning light existed over Eglinton Ave. W. directly in front of the hall, but this was removed in the 1980s.

Known as Station 135 since the 1998 amalgamation of Toronto, the Forest Hill Station does not actually lie within the command to which it was initially assigned. As one of the goals of the new station numbering system was to make all districts administratively equal, the North Command boundary was moved across Eglinton Avenue to include Station 135 on the south side of the street. On some early department maps, Station 135 is actually shown to be located on the north side of the street.

While there are plans to build a replacement

Apparatus Assigned to Fire Station 135 Pumper 135 - 2005 Spartan/Seagrave Shop #24121 and Aerial 135 - 1999 Spartan/Smeal Shop#26023

station on city owned land on Chaplin Crescent, north of Eglinton, an official date for the new station has not been set. Whether it remains on the south side of Eglinton Avenue W.

or moves slightly north in the years ahead, for many, Forest Hill Station will remain, ‘The South of the North’.

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 43

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2010_Advert_Firewatch.indd 1

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5/14/2010 4:07:50 PM

Where Are Your Guys?

By Charlene Rathgeb, TFS Pipes & Drums Band

O

n January 18, 2011, the Toronto Fire Services Pipes & Drums were honoured to have been part of the massed band which led the funeral procession for Sgt. Ryan Russell. Everyone who was there that day knows how moving the event was, how very worthwhile the effort to be there was, and how much our uniformed presence was appreciated by Sgt. Russell's family. As our band marched by the hundreds and hundreds of Toronto Fire Fighters standing at attention, saluting Sgt. Russell, we were filled with pride.

Funeral processions and memorials are all too familiar a part of our band's life, and whether large scale or private, every one of them is a moving tribute to our brothers and sisters in emergency services. At every one, our presence and the presence of the War Vets Colour Party is appreciated by the widows/widowers, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and other family members, friends and attendees of our deceased colleagues.

Occasionally, we are joined by a large crowd of Toronto Fire Fighters, such as at the annual East York Remembrance Day Service. But more often than not, with the exception of LODD funerals, we find ourselves standing alone, or with 10 or 15 uniformed members marching with us, as we pay tribute to our fallen. At times like these, we often wonder, “Where are our members?” Yet, never more than when we are at a memorial service such as the annual Ontario Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, held at Queen's Park, or in Ottawa for the Canadian Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, and we find ourselves greatly outnumbered by much smaller fire departments most of which don't even provide transportation to Ottawa (as our Association does) - and the rank and file from those departments ask us,

“Where are your guys?”

How can we get our numbers up? Any suggestions from any of our members would be appreciated. We really want to encourage people to continue their support for our fallen, beyond the funeral service itself.

It's wonderful that 750 of us made it to New York in 2002, and it's very impressive that hundreds were at Sgt. Russell's funeral - but what about our own backyard? When we hold our annual TFS Memorial in June, at Station 334, the names on that memorial are of our very own. Almost all of us know one or more of the names on that granite. We know the families gathered in those chairs, reaching for Kleenex as their loved one's name is called. And while this is probably the best attended memorial we play at throughout the year, why is it not absolutely packed by our members, showing support for our own TFS families?

It would be spectacular to have our members spilling over the lawns of Queen's Park this autumn and Queens Quay in June. Maybe you could also consider making plans to attend Ottawa this year? Think about it, won't you?

The families of our fallen appreciate the show of support, even as the years pass by. So, I urge you, when the notices come out, mark the dates of these important events down and join us. Fill us with pride, as we march with the ranks of our brothers and sisters. Make a small sacrifice of your time, to support the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Make a pledge to yourself to participate. You won't regret it. In fact, you will be as moved by the experience as the families themselves and we the band are.

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Toronto FIREPAC 2010

Our Municipal Success Story!!

Y

our Toronto FIREPAC has continued to grow and flourish since its inception in 2001. We have achieved great success at the municipal government level, captured the attention of candidates across the entire political spectrum and paved the way for our future involvement in municipal politics.

This past October marked a major step forward for membership participation at the grass roots level of political action. With a new Mayor and several open wards to be decided, our members saw an opportunity to make an impact and followed through with commitments of time and their own funds in many races across the city.

We had unprecedented numbers of volunteers, an excellent partnership with the OPFFA’s Target 2010 program and a committed core of FIREPAC Committee members and Stewards co-ordinating our efforts. As a result, we made a significant impact on the composition of our new Toronto City Council.

Our members can be very proud of our accomplishments as we move to implement our political agenda at City Hall for the next four years. Though it seems every year brings new challenges to our political goals, it’s clear that the coming year will be a very challenging one in moving our municipal yardsticks, while hanging on to the gains we have made. While all divisions within the city are being closely scrutinized by this new Council, we must continue to demonstrate the dedication of our members in providing a valued service to the city through a steadfast, consistent presence at City Hall. We have identified the key areas that need to be addressed and we will persist with our efforts to accomplish these goals.

This October 6th will also see a provincial election take place where we have also had a significant impact in provincial politics. Your Toronto FIREPAC committee will work in co-operation with the OPFFA to ensure our continued success in electing a fire fighter-friendly provincial government. Recent years have seen us achieve legislation of great significance for fire fighters in this province but there is still much to do with the looming backlash against public sector and unionized workers growing in the media.

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It is encouraging to see the increased interest and participation from our members but there is still so much untapped potential within our Association.

Each year in this edition of Fire Watch, we publish the list of our member contributors. This year, these contributions included partial union sub donations, direct payroll contributions through the Fire Services Credit Union and direct contributions to committee approved municipal candidates. This allowed our members considerable flexibility in their preferred choice of contributions. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list but with the numerous contribution methods this year, we apologize for any errors in advance. Please contact a member of the FIREPAC committee to report any errors or omissions.

Your Toronto FIREPAC committee will remain dedicated to making the connection from fire fighting to politics.

From the equipment we use to the training we receive, wages, benefits and pensions; all of these are administered or regulated by one level of government or another.

We have the ability to influence decisions regarding our day-to-day livelihood as well as our future. It’s a tremendous opportunity to help, not only ourselves, but the generations of future fire fighters to come.

We will do our best to demonstrate to our members, who contribute their time, as well as their voluntary contributions, the value of political action in improving the lives of fire fighters and their families. Our small but dedicated group of individuals will remain committed to this and we hope to continue to increase our members’ participation and education in the political process. We have seen a number of new members becoming involved and interested in FIREPAC’s role and we hope to see many more in the coming months as we prepare for another busy election cycle.

Thank you, to those of you who contributed in any way to our success this year. Please contact a member of the committee or your Steward for information about upcoming events.

Let’s stay involved!

2010 2010 Donor Donor listing listing PLATINUM AHOLA ALGAR ASHFIELD BEER BERENZ BLACK BOISSEAU BUCKINGHAM BURTENSHAW CARTWRIGHT CHALK COONES COONEY CSEPREGHI COOPER DAVIS DICKINSON DILLON DOHERTY DOMENEGATO DOUMA DRAPER EDGERTON ENSLEN ERWIN EYERS FAIRLIE FLETCHER FUDGE GIFFIN GRABA HALS HALLS HAMILTON HAMILTON HARVEY HASTINGS HAYES HOEFEL HOLWELL IMRAY JORDAN KENNEDY KEUNG KNOWLES LAMB LANGFORD LATOUR LUKACHKO MACINA MACLACHLAN MANSON MARKS

PEKKA TIMOTHY KEVIN DONALD RICK KEITH GEOFFREY STEVEN ADRIAN BRIAN RICK JAMES BILL JANOS JOHN CANDACE CHRISTOPHER JIM HUGH MIKE DARA MICHAEL MICHAEL JAMES DOUG SCOTT RYAN JAMES KIRK COLIN DENNIS DANIEL PAUL KEITH IAN PETER GARY PETER KARL DAVE THOMAS TOM ED PETER GARY TRACEY MICHAEL MICHAEL ED PAUL JOHN MURRAY SCOTT

MATHE MCCARTHY MCKEE MCKINNON MCKINNON MCLEAN MCMANUS MORGAN MOTTON NEELY NESTER OGLE OLLEY PERITORE PETT PIPERIDIS RAMAGNANO REED REYNOLDS ROBINSON SHERWOOD SINCLAIR SMITH SNELLINGS ST.THOMAS STAIRS STATHER THORNE TUFFNER WALKER WALSH WERGINZ WHISKIN WOODBURY WRIGHT YOUNG YUILL

TRAVIS KEVIN WILLIAM MARK NEIL ANDREW PAT MILDA ERIC MICHAEL JEFFERY MICHAEL ADRIAN GERLANDO ANDREW DENIS FRANK JAMES NEIL JONATHON BRIAN MICHAEL MARTIN GORDON BRIAN PETER CARY ERNIE JOHN ALFRED DAMIEN MATHIAS JEFF JOHN JOHN TIM IAN

GOLD ANDERSON BAXTER BILLS BRANDSTETTER BULL CAMPBELL CARSON CARTER CLARK CULLEN DAVIES DION DOORELEYERS DOWNES DOWNEY

GREGORY DANIEL MARK JOE CHRISTOPHER COLIN JOHN DENNIS NORMAN LIAM TOM JOHN JOHN MATTHEW LEO

DOYLE DRIMMIE DUNN DYER ELDON ELLEMENT EVASCHUK FALCONER GABOURY GEEKIE GONZALEZ GREEN HALEY HICKEY HILL HUGHES JANSEN JONES KNAGGS LANDMAN LEIGHTON LOIBL MACCANNELL MADDEN MCEACHERN MCINTYRE MORGAN NARDI NEU NORRIS OSADCA PACE PTASIUK RIVARD ROMARD RUSSELL SALVATORI SIMMONDS STOCKWELL STROUD TRZASKALSKI TRZECAK TURNBULL WALSH WALSH WALTON WATSON WALTON WATSON

MAURICE JOHN MARC JOHN RICHARD DARRELL BRAD DAVID RICHARD TIMOTHY CARLOS JAMES GREGORY ANTHONY ROLAND KEVIN CRAIG PAUL CHRISTOPHER ERIC TOM RONALD ROSS MIKE DOUG WILLIAM RICK SILVIO MICHAEL GLENN TOM ERCOLE IGOR ROBERT JOHN MIKE DAN JASON MELANIE ROBERT TED PETER MICHAEL DAVID STEVE STEPHEN ALAN STEPHEN ALAN

SILVER ALLEN ALSTON ANTLE ATKINSON BABCOCK BAKER

JIM DAN DAN PAUL DAVE WILLIAM

BANWELL BARNES BARRETT BERNARDI BINCE BISSETT BODDEN BRADSHAW BROWN BRUNTON BUCHMAYER BUCKLEY BURCHELL CANNON CASE CATTON CHIOLA COLEMAN COLEMAN COLEMAN COMPTON CUNNINGHAM CUNNINGHAM CHURCHMACK D’ALOISIO DARLING DE VRIES DEINHARDT DENNISON DENNISON DIVALENTIN DIXON DOLAN DOMINGUES DRENTERS DUHAMEL DUNBAR ELLERY FITZSIMMONS FOSTER GAMBIER GAUDET GAYMAN GLOAZZO GOLDSWORTHY GRACE GRAY GREEN GREEN HARRISON HASSELFELT HICKEY HOLDER INGLIS IRVINE IVINS JAKOPCEVIC

PETER JON DON CARLO GLENN GORD JEREMY TONY DUNCAN PAUL STEWART BERTRAM WARD JIM STEVE GREG ALDO DONALD JAMES LEISA MARK ROD PAUL RICHARD DAN STEVEN ELIK ALAN CRAIG GARY RICHARD TRACI GARY NELSON MATHEW PAUL BRUCE DREW MARK BRIAN STEVEN PAUL TIMOTHY CLAUDIO BRIAN TIMOTHY JASON STEVEN TIMOTHY BRUCE BRIAN KIERON LEONARD DAVID BRIAN DARREN GORAN

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2010 Donor listing continued JAMES JOHNSTON KAMIN KEOGH KILPATRICK KITSCO KNOTT KULAR KWIATKOWSKI LAI LAKEMAN LANGILL LASIUK LEUFKENS LEWANDOWSKI LUNAU MACASKILL MACDONALD MACKEN MANDARANO MARKHAM MATSUBA MATTA MCALINDEN MCARDLE MCCARRON MCMONAGLE MEREDITH MILES MOGFORD MORRIS MULLIN NASTAMAGOS NEARING NIECE O’CONNELL OATES PAGNELLO PATTERSON PEARSON PETERS PLUGOWSKY POOLE POS PRATCHETT PRICE QUINN RADONICICH RAINFORTH RATHGEB REILLY ROBERTSON RONSON ROSS ROYNON

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ROGER ROD SAM GARY RON JOHN JIM ROBERT PAUL KAR-WING MORRIS CHUCK JOHN BERNARD MICHAEL JEFF JAMES RICHARD MURRAY ANTONIO DALE GLEN BRUNO BRIAN ROBERT JOE GARY PHILIP JEFFREY STEPHEN WILLIAM DAVID SAM MICHAEL LARRY DENNIS BRADLEY FRANK ROB GORDON IAN JASON GARY JEFF VINCENT CRAIG DAVID MIKE MICHAEL MICHAEL JAMES CATHERINE BRIAN HUGH DAVID

SANGSTER SELL SHARPLESS SHERWOOD SIDDALL SIMMONDS SIMS SMALLEY SMITH SO SPARKES STAAL STARK STEFFLER STREET SWIDERSKI TEWNION TREMPE TULLETT VANDENHEUVEL VANGOETHEM VISCOUNT WALKER WEAVER WHITE WHITLOCK WHITTAKER WILLIAMS WILSON WONG WRIGHT WILSON WONG WRIGHT

BRIAN DIRK BLAIR NEIL JAMES MARK RANDY KEVIN MICHAEL JAMES TERRY BRYAN GRAHAM GREGORY KEVIN ED GORD LES NEIL GREG JOHN DARRYL ALEXANDER BRENT DEAN NEIL BRIAN GLEN MARK BOB SONNY MARK BOB SONNY

BRONZE ALBRIGHT ANDERSON ANTONUCCI ASSAF BAILEY BALDWIN BARBEN BELANGER BERTRAM BERTRAND BIGHAM BLASIOLI BOYD BRADSHAW BRIERLEY BROWN BUGG BURLAND BURTON

DAVE ALAN MICHAEL PAUL SCOTT ANDREW RONALD LORIANNE DIETER MARK JEFF GUY BILL ALLOT MATT DONALD TERRY ROBERT GEOFF

BYGRAVE BILL CAROLAN CHARLES CARSWELL KENT CASARIN ANTHONY CLOSE KENNETH COCHRANE STEVE COLES SHANE COURVOISIER WILLIAM CZULINSKI PETER DAVIS TOM DeBRUYN MICHAEL DOWSWELL DALE EVELY PAUL FEKETE KALMAN FITZGERALD MIKE FLUGE GERALD GALLO RICK GANGULY ANDREW GARCIA JOBY GARCIA MICHAEL GASPINI JUSTIN GIBSON GLENN GLIOSCA ANDREW GOSHTASBPOUR-PARSI SHAHRAM GRIMSHAW DAVE GUNNS RICHARD HASSON MICHAEL HOY BRAD HUMPHRIES GERALD JACKLIN WILLIAM JANES TIM JANUSAS ALFONS JENSEN JORGE JOHANSEN GLEN JUNEAU JUSTIN KALLIOKOSKI JOHN KARNAS TOM KASSEN THOMAS KELLY BRIAN KENNEDY PAUL KROLOW EDMUNDO KULAR TED KURMEY DAVE LAWRENCE CHRIS LEESON LARRY LEONARD JOHN LESCHAK DAVID LOUKIDES WILLIAM MACINTRYRE BARRY MASTERS SCOTT MCDONALD SCOTT MCKINNON DOUGLAS MCTAVISH IAN MEARS BRETT MORRIS TERRENCE NAWROCKI ADAM

NICHOLLS NORLOCK NORRIS O’DACRE PALMER PARK PETTER PEZZETTA POLLOCK POWER REDWOOD REEVES REID RICHARDSON ROGERS RUSNAK SAFIAN SAFKO SARTA SAYERS SEBASTIAN SMITH SMITH SOARES SORRENTI SWEENEY TABOADA TAMASI THOMPSON THORNHILL TRAYES TURNER TURNER TYRRELL VAN DER GROEF VERSACE VIEIRA WAGG WALKER WALLACE WHARTON WHELAN WHITLOCK WILLISON WITTEMEIER WOOD YATES YENN

KEVIN BILL BRIAN TIMOTHY DOUG JEFF MARK LINO BILL BRIAN RYAN GEOFF WILLIAM JEFF DOUG PATRICK GEORGE MIKE JOE MIKE KEVIN STEVE STUART MARIO ALDO GRAEME GUILLERMO FRANK DENNIS MARK PAUL JACK MATTHEW JERRY PAUL PAUL DANY RYAN IVOR SHANE GARY DANNY GREG SCOTT JURGEN MICHAEL ADAM RON

OTHER MACEACHERN MCILMOYLE MCINTYRE ROYNON SHEPHED SPEIRAN WELCH

CAMERON THOMAS ROBERT DAVE JOSEPH IAN BRUCE

Andrew Park d. September 12, 1944 Hired by the Toronto Fire Department in 1914 and promoted to Lieutenant in 1933, Andrew Park responded to many fires throughout his thirty years of service. The Danforth Radio store blaze in 1942, saw Park narrowly escape as he was overcome by fumes and hospitalized in unconscious condition. Though he made a full recovery and would return to duty and later become a Captain at Station 30 in the Ashbridges Bay area, it was a position that he would hold for less than twentyfour hours.

The eve of September 11, 1944 marked both the first and last shift that Park reported to work as a Captain. In the early hours of the morning, he and his crew responded to Ewing & Gregers Woodwork Company on Logan Avenue for his first fire as Pumper 30 Captain. Though District Chief David Maxwell said the fire was quickly under con-

trol and incurred damages of only $200, the effort to rapidly advance hose for fire attack left Captain Park collapsed on the ground. Fire fighters quickly carried him to a nearby house for first aid and waited for an ambulance that rushed Park to St. Michael’s Hospital. Despite all efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead in hospital, having suffered a heart attack on scene.

A member of a pioneer Toronto family, the popular officer had served the Toronto Fire Department since he was twenty years old. Survived by his widow, two daughters and a son serving overseas, Captain Andrew Park now rests at Park Lawn Cemetery.

Edward Caskie d. July 13, 1946 Fire fighter Edward Caskie was one of many on the Toronto Fire Department who endured a career of fire fighting, years before the Self-Con-

tained Breathing Apparatus was widely available.

Born and raised in Toronto, the avid bowler attended Pape Avenue Public School during his youth before going on to serve the Toronto Fire Department for twenty-six years alongside his brother Norman.

The health effects of a long career of fire fighting began to impact Caskie in his later years and he began working on the TFD switchboard upon leaving the trucks. In November of 1945, he retired from the department due to ill health and relocated to Quebec with his wife and two children. Less than a year later, while being transported from his home in St. Adele to the hospital, Edward Caskie died in Montreal while still in the ambulance on July 13, 1946. At 53 years of age, he became one of the many Toronto Fire Fighters to lose his life due to a work-related illness.

Researched and Written by Matt Dunn, Toronto Fire Fighter

In Memoriam John “Jack” Jessop 1921 - 2011

W

e lost a leader that was the face of the IAFF’s Canadian Operations during a formative time in the International’s history. Jack Jessop, a Toronto fire fighter who became the IAFF’s first Canadian Director, died January 8, 2011 of cancer.

The IAFF Canadian Office opened in Ottawa on June 3, 1969, with Jessop as Canadian Director, a post he held until his retirement in 1990. During Jessop’s tenure, the Canadian Office flourished as a focal point for Canadian members’ legislative demands, and as a direct conduit between IAFF headquarters and its growing number of Canadian members.

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger saluted Jessop, saying he will remember the passion and conviction with which he fought on behalf of his fellow fire fighters.

Jessop joined the Toronto Fire Department when fire fighters worked six 24-hour shifts in a row. Jack was involved in numerous ground-breaking issues while active in the Toronto Local and later as the IAFF Canadian

Director. The knowledge and assistance Jack shared with all Locals in all aspects of the fire service, including the hours of work arbitration (chaired

by Dr. Eric Taylor) in Toronto, which established the 42 hour work week, laid the foundation for others to follow. He was involved in this key arbitration which also saw the City ordered to hire 240 additional fire fighters. He served as President of the former Toronto Local 113 before moving to Ottawa to open the IAFF Canadian Office.

Jack is the father of active TPFFA member and TFS District Chief, John Jessop and the grandfather of active TPFFA member and TFS Fire Fighter, Doug McNeilage.

Long before there was a Canadian Legislative Conference, Jessop was taking fire fighter issues straight to Parliament Hill and fighting hard to make things better for his fellow fire fighters. George Richardson’s 1974 book, Symbol of Action, which chronicles the IAFF’s history to that time, documents Jessop’s determined fight to increase federal pensions for professional fire fighters.

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EXECUTIVE TALK BILL MCKEE

mckee@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 948-3888

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for your support and encouragement. I am honoured to have been picked to represent South Command as your Executive Officer. Although elected in South Command, I would like to reiterate that I represent all our members across the board, in both operations and support, and will strive to work for all of you equally.

As you well know, each Executive Officer receives his own mandate. I’ve been assigned the post of Chair of the Entertainment Committee. I also sit on the WSIB, government relations, charities and finally membership communications committees. If it sounds busy, that’s because it is! However, I intend to make the most of my two-year mandate and hope to work with you, but more importantly for you.

We have an exciting year ahead of us. Preparations are already underway for the second annual charity golf classic, Local 3888 retirement dinner, family picnic and Christmas party.

I believe we need to facilitate and improve communications between the board and its members to improve and make our local stronger. Our biggest challenge is getting our members engaged and involved. This is the year we need to make a change, and make the public and our elected officials aware of just how involved we are in our communities. This will send a clear message that we are connected and we do make a difference. More importantly, we need to increase our presence at all of our fallen fire fighter memorials. We need to make the public aware of our sacrifice and commitment to our jobs and the community at large.

Let’s work together to tackle our issues and concerns - our collective voice can and will incite change and improve our lives.

Geoff Boisseau

boisseau@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 708-3887

My first term as an Executive Officer has been an interesting time for me. The advice and guidance provided to me from other Executive Members has been extremely helpful and is greatly appreciated. My background on various Joint Health and Safety Committees, along with having past chair, Ian Hamilton as my mentor, has made my transition to the North Health and Safety Chair a relatively easy one.

Chairing the Constitution Committee, as well as being a member of the Grievance, Charity and Entertainment Committees will keep my calendar full, along with the addition of two special assignments - Wellness Initiative and STI Policy Review Committees. Despite this, my commitment to the Fire Fighter Survival and Rescue remains strong. I fully intend on continuing my role with this program. Our team has worked extremely hard to build an excellent program and the training already has and will continue to pay off.

Remember: If you think you are in trouble - you are. The sooner you call MAYDAY, the sooner helps comes.

JOHN MACLACHLAN

maclachlan@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 951-3887

First and foremost, I would like to thank West Command for the opportunity to represent them on their Executive Board. This being my second term, I see many more challenges ahead. We now have a new Mayor with a fresh vision. We are also dealing with arbitration, changes to EMS with simultaneous dispatch, and Chiefs trying to put their stamps on the TFS, just to name a few.

I have been assigned to some familiar committees, as well as to some new ones. The past has proven that if we all share our knowledge and experience to bring issues forward, it will usually result in a positive conclusion.

I look forward to facing the above challenges and any new ones presented in 2011.

JAMES REED

reed@torontofirefighters.org • (647) 899-6472

I would like to start off by saying thank you to those who voted in our election. Having your say in who represents you comes every two years. Being elected to your Executive Board was a proud moment in my career; I hope to rise to the challenges of the position and I will do whatever possible to represent those in West Command.

That being said, a major part of my job on this Executive Board will be in my position as Chair of the Stewards Committee.

The Stewards play a major role in our Association. They are meant to be a first point of contact for members with questions or concerns. They visit work locations as the face of the Association in the workplace. It is my job to ensure that they bring a uniform message, free from opinion or rumour. It is my intention to have the Stewards provide timely and valuable information to the members, so that they can make informed decisions on issues that they will be asked to vote upon at membership meetings.

I am excited to have added four new Stewards to the program this year. As well, I continue to receive e-mail from members interested in becoming Stewards. This tells me that there is an appreciation for the program. While there are no positions currently available, I welcome the interest and will keep all names on file in case of vacancies.

As well as being Chair of the Stewards, I sit on the Government Relations, Public Relations, Benefits and Entertainment Committees. Somewhere, during one of these roles, I hope I get the chance to meet as many of you as possible S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 51

EXECUTIVE TALK DOUG ERWIN

erwin@torontofirefighters.org • (647) 220-8787

I am now well into my second term as a member of the Executive Board and it continues to be an honour and privilege to represent the membership of our Association. This term I am serving as the Chair of the Finance/Building Committee. Also on the Committee are Kevin McCarthy and Frank Ramagnano.

One of the main responsibilities of the Finance Committee is to review all expenses on a regular basis and ensure that they are in compliance with policy. We also periodically review existing financial policies and update or amend them as required. Another major function of the committee is the preparation and presentation of Local 3888’s annual budget. The Committee also reviews requests for sports funding and grants money to approved applicants, based on the Sports Funding Policy and available budget.

Other duties include the Association building and staff operations.

I have also been assigned to serve on the Grievance Committee for this term. I welcome the opportunity to help ensure the rights of our members are protected and that the terms and conditions of our Collective Agreement are followed.

My other Committee assignments are Benefits, Government Relations, and Entertainment/Recreation/Sports & Social. I am also the Executive Liaison for the members who work in the Communication Centre as well as the Radio Technicians. These new Liaison positions have been established this term by our Principal Officers, to ensure the members in support divisions have a contact person to whom they may express any concerns they would like to see addressed, or any questions they may have answered.

In closing, I would like to thank the membership for their support and take this opportunity to encourage all members to be active in your Association, attend some of our many events and functions throughout the year, and try to get out to as many General Meetings as possible.

MIKE OGLE

ogle@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 948-9598

This is my first term serving the membership of our local as an Executive Officer. However, I have been a Steward and a Chief Steward for many years. I started in East Command in 1990, in communications and have since moved on to the driver training section of PD&T. I am co founder and Vice President of the Celtic Society, a charity that has raised over $30,000.00 in the name of Toronto Fire Fighters.

As the Chair of the Charities Committee, my duty is to deal with all requests from charities for either funding or assistance. I had no idea that I would be receiving so many requests.

Some of the events that we have participated in or supported in the last couple of months are the Tema Conter foundation, which does great work in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for emergency workers; Christmas Dinner for the Homeless, with even Santa Visiting the kids in the hospitals on Christmas Day. When I made my rounds in East Command for the election, one of my goals was to get more of our members out to events as volunteers. This shows our involvement and commitment to the communities of this great city.

In closing, I would just like to thank the members in east for their support in the past election. I look forward to the next two years and I hope that I can make a difference.

Neil McKinnon

mckinnon@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 659-2624

Here we are again, another year older and hopefully another year wiser. The last two-year term on the Executive Board was an interesting journey that brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, “24/7 – 365 days a year.”

It’s only been four months since this new term of office began and it already feels like it’s been a year.

Even though I maintained most of the same Committees as the last term of office, my workload has increased significantly with taking on the responsibility of chairing the Grievance Committee. The transition from Committee Member to Committee Chair has been both an enlightening and eye opening experience, which has given me a newfound respect for all of the previous Grievance Committee Chairs. I now realize the amount of extra time and effort that they put into representing the membership. I look forward to the challenge and will strive to continue that excellent representation that has been supplied in the past.

As well, I have been assigned, once again, to the Ceremonial & Bereavement Committee, the Health & Safety Committee and the Constitution & Policy Committee, where I hope that, with my years of experience, I can be a valuable asset.

Only time will tell what the next two years will bring us. And all I can do is promise to do my best to ensure the membership gets representation that they desire.

Kevin Ashfield

ashfield@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 605-3889

Sadly, a few times every year, your Executive is called into action to assist one of our members’ family in preparing and executing an appropriate send off to one of our fallen fire fighters. We spend countless hours going over all of the details to make sure that we haven’t missed anything. While we try to do a good job of honouring our fallen, we always hope for that time when we can have a year pass and not have to go through this process.

Each year, we work on new and better equipment to make our hazardous job as safe as possible. Bunker suits are replaced every five years, and we are fortunate enough to have a second set when our first requires cleaning or repair. We are given all of the other appropriate PPE in order to make our job safer.

This is where you come in; every morning when you arrive at work, spend that few extra minutes to make sure that all of your required PPE is available to you and in good and clean condition. You never know when that bell is going to sound and it’s a comfort knowing that you have the right equipment in good condition, to protect you from whatever you may encounter.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, a worker shall use or wear the equipment, protective devices or clothing that the worker’s employer requires you to use or wear and to report any absence or defect to their supervisor.

So, before we sit down and enjoy that first cup of coffee and the laughter at the kitchen table, remember to make sure our own safety equipment is in good working order. Your life may depend on it.

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EXECUTIVE TALK Janos Csepreghi

csepreghi@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 806-6286

I am entering my sophomore term as a TPFFA Executive Officer. While the experience has been profound, the learning curve is perpetual. The diversity of experience that our Executive Board brings to the table on behalf of our membership is extensive.

Not only recognized at the municipal level - but also provincially, federally, and internationally.

2011 saw a new Executive Board emerge with a few new faces, and the departure of many years of experience. Many challenges lay ahead but I feel that we are qualified and motivated to break new ground and put the best interest of every 3888 member at the forefront of our mandate.

Serving as an Officer on the 3888 Executive is not an easy job, but it is a rewarding experience. However, none of it would be possible if I did not have the support of my family. I would like to take the time to thank my wife and our three young boys for their understanding and ability to hide my Blackberry once in a while. Thank you.

Kevin McCarthy

mccarthy@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 708-6817

I find that whenever the word “Benefits” comes up around the firehall kitchen table, all the talk seems to go straight to post-65 benefits. With recent decisions from various Police Departments and Hamilton Fire regarding spending accounts, it is possible that the discussion can focus on other issues in the future.

Every year, the Benefits Committee reviews the benefits master plan. This is done to ensure that our benefit supplier does not make changes that may limit what we currently have. A simple change in a paragraph could change the whole intent of something.

The Benefits Committee has also followed the trends to ensure that our members are getting full use of their benefits. PSA tests, which in the past have not been covered, are now being covered. Synvisic, a treatment used for joints is now being recognized up to $ 650.

Reasonable and Customary Rates seem to be a growing concern. Reasonable and Customary Rates are developed by the benefits carrier by comparing and studying the range of charges for a comparable service in the same geographic area (Ontario). So, what this means for us, is that unlimited physiotherapist may not be fully covered, depending on where you are getting the service done. A facility in Toronto may charge more than a facility up north.

With things changing every day, we need your help to make sure that we are getting what we deserve. If you have a problem with your benefits or with payroll, do not hesitate to call. Your call may be the difference of only a few dollars today but could be worth hundreds to someone else in the future.

Hugh Doherty

doherty@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 433-0446

As we began 2011, we saw dramatic footage of a fire on Yonge Street with the rescue of two of our members. In 2010, we had four members rescued at two separate fires. On a daily basis, we continue to see the benefits of our RIT program and training.

Yet, training and the implementation of “hands-on” training appears to be placed on the back burner. FETN appears to be the saviour for our administration to deliver training to all members. We must continue to ensure the City provides all members with the “Cadillac” of training for all divisions, not just the non-personal communication with a computer. It is unacceptable to hear the excuses of no money for materials or no money to pay for instructors. We have seen the benefits of excellent programs such as RIT & Self Rescue, and these should be the level at which all programs are delivered by the TFS. We have commenced the purchase and measuring of our new bunker suits and delivery is scheduled for April and will begin with those assigned to D Platoon first. The Shelby fire fighter glove is now the glove supplied by TFS and provides much better protection and dexterity than the previously supplied glove. We will continue to work to improve our protective clothing such as SCBA, fatigue clothing and a move to leather boots.

It will be an interesting year as we watch how Council treats all unionized workers within the City. Will the slash and burn philosophy affect us in Local 3888? Will the attacks on unionized workers begin on members of the TPFFA like they have for members of Locals 416 and 79? We all need to be very determined to ensure we protect our existing wages and benefits. As we progress through the arbitration system, it is imperative that members of Local 3888 are remunerated as the highest paid fire service in the Country. We often see members dying, injured or disabled due to the stress and demands of our chosen profession and Council must never forget the sacrifices made by members of Local 3888 and not never be permitted to degrade or dishonour our work nor our members.

Dave Holwell

holwell@torontofirefighters.org • (416) 807-7753

There are a number of things I would like to talk about in this brief note but unfortunately if I did, then it would be far from brief.

Members’ participation, members’ responsibilities, members’ obligations, members’ knowledge and appreciation of what is going on around them and actually thinking how lucky we are, would name a few but I may have to save that for another time!

We have just gone through a difficult Local 3888 election for some. There were long standing, competent Association reps that made some tough choices to commit to a position where they thought their best contribution would be. I want to congratulate the winners but I also want to congratulate the members who didn’t win. For not only the service and commitment on previous Executive Boards and thankless committee assignments, but for making the tough decision that you thought was best for yourself, your family and our membership. It was good for our membership to have a choice as to where to put their vote on a ballot; good for our membership because talented smart individuals enter the game to represent, bargain, lobby and fight on their behalf with little or no appreciation of the sacrifice that it is.

Fire fighting is a special and rewarding occupation. We sometimes forget that it didn’t just happen over night without sweat or effort. Many good people worked long and hard to get us where we are today. Be aware of the effort and be aware of the part you play. Respect your career and the profession and you will ensure you are well served.

Please ask to help, have some fun and feel good knowing you make a difference.

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Fit to SURVIVE

The fire fighter’s guide to health and nutrition Fit to Survive is your source for a healthier life, brought to you by the IAFF’s Fire Service Joint Labour Management Wellness/ Fitness Initiative. You’ll find expert advice and practical information on staying fit and healthy, as well as recipes and nutrition tips to make your next firehouse meal wholesome and delicious. Articles reprinted in FireWatch have been taken from the IAFF’s Fit To Survive web site and Manulife Financial Health eLinks, which we encourage all members to visit regularly. It can be found at www.foodfit.com/iaff/

Home gym on a shoestring budget You don’t need to break the bank to break a sweat. You also don’t need a gym membership to burn fat, slim down and get fit. If you are on a budget, follow these simple steps for an effective workout at home.

Calisthenics Calisthenics help you develop flexibility, increase muscle strength and endurance, and gain energy.

Typical calisthenic activities include:

Cardiovascular activity

• lunges

Cardio exercises help you lose weight, decrease stress, strengthen your heart and lungs, gain energy, and generally feel better.

• squats

Some simple at-home aerobics include: • jumping jacks • jogging on the spot • invisible skip rope • running on the spot with high knees Search online for alternate examples of more challenging cardio activities, or rent a workout video from your local library. Aim to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity cardiovascular activity each week. Try to be active for at least 10 minutes at a time or longer.

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• pushups • crunches You can find more examples of calisthenic activities online. Try to include activities that target your entire body into your weekly routine. Shoot for 20 to 30 repetitions, gradually increasing by 5 to 10 repetitions each week until you reach your target.

Yoga This mind-body-spirit activity is ideal for increasing flexibility, enhancing balance, toning muscles, increasing blood flow, and promoting a feeling of peace. A yoga mat, some floor

space, a 30-minute beginner’s yoga video, and an open mind are all you need to start learning the basic postures.

Weight training Weight training is your ticket to strengthening muscles, burning fat, improving flexibility, and building bone mass. Dumbbells and barbells are low-cost tools to help you quickly achieve concrete results. Find a fitness book or search online for examples of total body strength training exercises. To start, perform 8 to 12 repetitions. In addition to your cardiovascular exercise routine, add muscle and bone strengthening activities at least 2 days per week to further benefit your health.

Exercise ball This bouncy fitness tool is all the rage, and with good reason as it improves core stability, strengthens hard-to-tone muscles, enhances posture, and improves balance and coordination. You can purchase a ball at your local fit-

SALMON & VINAIGRETTE SALAD

ness store - ask the sales associate about the right size for you. The web is full of examples of exercises you can perform on the ball.

Things to remember: • Work within your comfort zone.

• Choose a quiet spot with enough free floor space.

• Breathe regularly throughout your workout.

• Include warm-ups and cool-downs in your workout - 5 to 10 minutes of stretching will do.

• For exercise beginners, check with your doctor first about your ideal routine.

Medical Disclaimer The information provided is for Canadian residents only. The contents are for informational and educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical advice, treatment and diagnosis. The information is meant to educate you on health related issues. Always discuss the information with your Physician or other qualified health care professional ("Physician") before acting on it. Never disregard or delay acting on any advice given to you by your Physician because of something you have read on this site. Always seek the advice of a Physician regarding any questions you have about your medical symptom(s), condition(s) and treatment(s).

INGREDIENTS

SERVING SUGGESTION

1 medium head of red lettuce 2 hard cooked eggs, yolks removed, whites chopped 2 medium, vine-ripe tomatoes cut into wedges 1 cup cooked asparagus tips 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 small yellow pepper, cut into strips 1 can (7.5 oz.) pink salmon

SERVING SIZE: 1/4 salad w/dressing

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 4

NUTRITION FACTS Calories 191 Total Fat 8 g Sodium 386 mg Total Carbohydrates 15 g Fiber 3 g Protein 16 g

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp. water 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove, crushed

RECIPE 1. Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Tear into pieces and divided among four plates.

2. Combine egg whites, tomatoes, asparagus, onion, and pepper.

3. Arrange on plates on top of lettuce.

4. Drain salmon and flake on top of vegetables.

5. In small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.

6. Drizzle over each plate and serve.

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3888 Recent happenings

Members from station 426, 3888 executive, Chief Stewart, and member Paul Kennedy as Santa take part in the 13th Annual St. Joseph’s Health Centre Paediatric Christmas Party. Santa and his entourage passed out presents to children and their families that are spending the holidays at the hospital.

January 6th, 2011 at the RICOH Centre. It was the annual Anchors Away relay race between Metro Police, TEMS and TFS. The Team consisted of Jason Eyers, Drew Foote, Dave West, Darren Bell. It was the first time that TFS has won the event.

Chocolate Festival, 911 Chocolate Relay. We competed against Toronto Police and EMS. We won for the second year in a row! Money raised went to Breast and Prostate research initiatives.

3888 members attend the Chicago Line of Duty funerals for Brothers FF Edward J. Stringer - E63 and FF/EMT Corey D. Ankum T34.

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On February 11, 2011 Local 3888 swore in 37 new members. We wish them all the best in their new career.

The latest recruit class hold boot drive at Union station March 4, 2011 and raised over $15 000 for Muscular Dystrophy.

December 11 Christmas Party for children from single parents at York U. Members from S143 and P141in attendance to hand out Toronto Fire Toy Drive toys and serve lunch.

Local 3888 members help with the homeless dinner at Christie and St. Claire Dec 30th

Members of Local 3888 executive board and staff attend a congratulatory lunch for retiring receptionist Marilyn Trunks.

Brother Bill Closs plaque ceremony Feb 14/11 at station 324 S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 57

advertorial

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A Briar Hill home provides virtually maintenance free living through condominium ownership. This allows homeowners the freedom to travel, go to the cottage or simply enjoy the lifestyle that surrounds them. Lawn care, exterior upkeep of the building, exterior insurance, in-ground irrigation system, window washing, maintenance of common areas and WATER are included in the low monthly maintenance fees.

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To experience this breath of fresh air, visit Briar Hill on-line at www.briarhill.on.ca; call (705) 435-5503 or visit the sales office, open daily from 10-5.

58

TORONTO FIRE SERVICES PEER SUPPORT NEWSLETTER

I

Message from the Editor…

n this day and age, and in some cases, as a result of work pressures, failed marriages/relationships, family conflict and stress, people turn to alcohol. For many, this provides temporary relief - a mask or a short-term fix. In the long run however, pressures, problems, conflict and stress continue to be prevalent, and in some cases, alcohol consumption could turn into an addiction that may be difficult to overcome.

Alcoholism, as defined by the Online Canadian Encyclopedia, is a behaviour pattern characterized by uncontrolled drinking of alcoholic beverages to the extent of impairing health and social functioning. According to Health Canada, “It is estimated that four to five million Canadians engage in high risk drinking, which is linked to motor vehicle accidents, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and other health issues, family problems, crime and

spring EDITION 2011

violence.” More than one in ten Canadians face serious health risks because of their dependency on alcohol. Fortunately, like drugs, alcohol addictions are treatable diseases.

It is the hope of your EAP Team to be proactive - to educate through the Health and Wellness Program, FETN and during station visits - around coping skills, so you don’t reach the harmful effects, or worse, addiction to alcohol. We are also here to provide guidance around your responsibilities and obligations to Toronto Fire Services. For example, did you know that you must report a loss of your license to your supervisor?

As important, is the support and information we offer and provide around ways to get help, should you find yourself around circumstances involving alcohol abuse and addiction, as was the case in the story which follows.

Remember, it is not our role to lay judgement; it is to get you the required help, AND your call is ALWAYS confidential. Read on for a fire fighter’s personal journey from the dark days of hopelessness, alcohol and its effects, to a life of hope and recovery.

For other facts on alcohol, visit http://www.drinkingfacts.ca/ english/downloads/facts.pdf Be well, Lynn Pezzelato continued on page 2

2011 CONTACT LIST CIS/EAP TEAM

416-338-9327 dmorley@toronto.ca

David Morley - Manager

South (Station 331/B) 416-338-9331

John Drimmie - Manager

East (Station 223/C) 416-338-9223

johndrimmie@torontofirefighters.org

905-903-2574 (cell)

Lynn Pezzelato

PD&T (North) 416-338-9109

lpezzela@toronto.ca

647-409-3135 (cell)

East (Station 233/D) 416-338-9233

cstather@toronto.ca

647-409-2633 (cell)

Kevin Scragg

South (Station 331/D) 416-338-9331

kscragg@mac.com

647-405-2562 (cell)

Gordon Thomson

PD&T (North) 416-338-8796

gthomso@toronto.ca

416-262-6933 (cell)

Heather Forbes

West (Station 433/D) 416-338-9433

hfforbes@hotmail.com

416-436-7295 (cell)

Samantha Hoffmann

North (Station 121) 416-338-9188

shoffman@toronto.ca

Hugh Donnelly

Chaplain Co-ordinator, EAST Command

905-898-7893 (H) 416-550-1854 (c) 416-540-2859 (work cell) 416-450-8372 (cell)

Todd Riley

Chaplain, WEST Command

tsriley@primus.ca

David King

Chaplain, NORTH Command

rural.personnel@bayofquinteconference.c a sulkingcot@cogeco.ca

Barry Parker

Chaplain, SOUTH Command

bparker@stpaulsbloor.org

Cary Stather - Mentor

CIS/EAP PHONE

416-338-9327

Communications

416-338-9001

416-723-8374 (cell)

chrishoffmann1965@hotmail.com

hughdonnelly@rogers.com

416-318-9167 (cell) 416-236-8801 (w) 416-723-8375 (cell)

416-271-7540 (cell) 416-961-8116 x224 (w)

Last Updated: Dec 10 - 2010

59

1

GOLF COURSE

For SPECIAL FIREFIGHTER’S PRICING, please ask for Lance Anderson, Sales Manager.

STOUFFVILLE RD.

HWY 48

MILLARD ST.

MAIN ST.

Tel: (905)642-6688 • www.stouffvilletoyota.net • 1288 Millard Street (at Hwy 48), Stouffville, Ontario

Choose a Rosehaven home & every time you step through your front door you’ll say...

I AM HAPPY. I AM COMFORTABLE.

I AM HOME

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Niagara • Thorold • Waterdown • Ancaster • Oakville • Brampton • Nobleton • Bradford

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING

7404 ROS COR Firewatch Ad.indd 1 ALPHA LABORATORIES AMIN BHATIA MUSIC "FLASHPOINT" ARI'S AUTO ALIGNMENT & BRAKES AROMA ESPRESSO BAR A-T SPECIALTIES INC BABYLON EXPRESS BARBARA MORGAN BA LLB BUSCH MOVERS RESIDENTIAL & OFFICE CANADIAN TIRE CHARLOO'S WEST INDIAN FOODS LTD CHESTER FRIED CHICKEN COFFEE CULTURE DANIEL BLOCH LLB DATA PLEX TAX FRIENDS OF FIRE FIGHTERS

60

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www.rosehavenhomes.com 11-01-20 10:56 AM MODULAR HOME ADDITIONS LTD OLYMPIA TILE INTERNATIONAL PARKWAY CAR WASH PARS MACHINE TOOLS LTD ROBERT J MALVERN/CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER RONALD ANDERSON SHAUNA DECONINCK SHIRLEY SAWYERS SLIMLINE SKYLIGHTS INC THE CUT ABOVE URBAN CAPITAL PROPERTY GROUP WAL MART-DUFFERIN STREET WAL MART-EGLINGTON AVENUE WM ROOFING SERVICES

A STORY OF RECOVERY

A

lcohol was slowly taking away everything that meant anything to me. I needed to make some changes or I was going to die from this disease. Below are the steps that I took to begin recovering from Alcoholism. These steps did work for me, but they may not work for everyone. Each addict has to find their own path to recovery. I can only speak for myself and hope that my story will help others who may also be struggling.

The first thing I did was admit that I had a problem. When I did that, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It allowed me to reach out to the friends and family that I had detached from, to be my support system. For me, if I hadn’t had them as my support system, I would not have been able to stay sober.

The next thing I did was contact our EAP Team for guidance on where I could go to be safe. I was really in a bad situation the day I had finally decided to quit drinking, and I needed somewhere to dry out. It was recommended that I go to a Detox facility.

The Detox facility allowed me to chill out for a few days. While I was there, I was able to speak to counsellors about my problem and figure out what I could do next in order to start battling this disease. At that point, I had no idea what to do with myself. I was totally lost and my thoughts were all over the place.

Two great things happened while I was in Detox. First, I was told about AA and I went to my first meeting, which really helped me. It made me realize that I was no longer alone. There were others out there who understood what I was going through and who were not only willing to help me work on my sobriety, but actually wanted to help me work on my sobriety.

Secondly I was able to get the cards lined up to allow me to go to a treatment centre for Alcoholism.

In order for me to be able to go to treatment, I needed to really be focused in Detox. I attended meetings daily and openly talked about what got me to where I was. It was a safe environment where booze was nowhere close. We were “locked down,” so I couldn’t leave until they felt I was ready. These first days, in my opinion, were the most important because it gave me a fighting chance to work on recovery.

2

After leaving Detox, I went to treatment for my disease. My treatment program was 28 days, where I lived and breathed recovery. I was to be up at 7 am every morning for exercise and a walk. Breakfast at 8 am and then my day began with group sessions very similar to the ones that you see on TV. We were required to attend an AA meeting every evening and one every night on our weekend pass. The treatment centre was based on a 12-step program.For more information on the 12-step program, please visit www.aa.org.

So life was regimented. They were trying to put some balance back in my life. I needed this because at that point, my life had become so unmanageable. Those 28 days were very difficult, having to talk about some of the most painful things I had experienced. I really tried to get to the root of my problem with alcohol. With treatment under my belt, I began to get a little bit better.

I left the treatment centre with the tools to really begin my journey into recovery. The thought of having to go out there and do it yourself can be very scary and overwhelming, but I felt confident that I had the strength and willpower to make a serious attempt at recovery. I knew that I had to regularly attend AA meetings and start working on my own 12-step program.

I also knew that I would have to reach out to my support system when I felt uncertain of my ability to stay away from alcohol. Treatment helped me to realize that it is okay to reach out to others for help. Staying sober is the goal and asking others to assist me in obtaining that goal is perfectly acceptable. I learned that I had to start taking control of my disease and to stop letting it control me. I am now the one in charge!

I have reclaimed the life that alcohol had been taking away from me. I have learned to let go of the mistakes and pain of my past and to start focussing on the future. I know that the road to recovery is a continuous one and it will not always be easily travelled, but I also know that I have the ability to beat this disease.

I am going to take it one day at a time. Today I am sober and I am thankful for that. I will deal with being sober tomorrow when tomorrow comes. I just have to keep coming back!

TORONTO FIRE SERVICES EAP/CIS NEWSLETTER - SPRING EDITION 2011

CLASSIFIEDS WANTED: an older Pinball Machine, for my rec. room. Working or Not is fine. Please call: 416-241-4819 anytime.

Casual Part Time Employment: Ward Funeral Home is currently looking for Limousine/Funeral Coach Drivers to serve their Weston, Woodbridge, Oakville and Brampton Communities. Must be available Days, Evenings and Weekends (not a

scheduled shift – phone request by chapel manager as needed) Uniform/Dress Coat provided.

All inquiries should be made to 416-2412388 Attention: Lee Bingley or by email at leeb@wardfh.com.

WANTED: 1993 to 1997 Toyota Corolla in any condition. Please call 416-241-4819.

Classified Advertising in the Toronto Fire Watch Magazine Name Work Phone

Division Home Phone

Ad (20 words max – please print clearly) # of issues Signature

Payment: Cheque

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Price: $25/issue + GST=

Ads run one issue free of charge. Home phone or pager numbers will be used. Ads MUST be submitted in writing. Phoned ads are not accepted.

Submit before the 1st of the month. Send to Toronto Fire Watch, #600, 20 Huhgson St. S., Hamilton, ON L8N 2A1 or email: publications@xentel.com

62

2011 UPCOMING EVENTS LOCATION

May 3, Tuesday

Stewards Meeting

Union Office, Toronto

May 6, Friday

Local 3888 Retirement Dinner and Dance

Q’Ssis, Toronto

May 9 - 12

Canadian Labour Congress Convention

Vancouver, BC

May 16, Monday

3888 Golf Tournment, Royal Woodbine Golf Club

Toronto, Ontario

May 25, Wednesday Night meeting only (1900 Hrs)

3888 General Union Meeting

RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

June 6 - 10

OPFFA Convention

Ottawa, Ontario

June 17, Friday

Rib Cook Off

Woodbine Park, Toronto

June 12, Sunday

TFS/TPFFA Memorial

Station #334

July 1, Friday

Canada Day

Canada

July 13, Wednesday

TPFFA Picnic

Wild Water Kingdom, Etobicoke

Advertisers Index ACCESS CASH GENERAL PARTNERSHIP........................... 38

ENVY EYEWEAR BOUTIQUE............................................. 50

PURE AUDIOLOGY & HEARING AID SERVICES................ 30

ALARMFORCE...................................................................... 4

EVEREADY AUTO SALES & SERVICE LTD.......................... 28

RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT.......................................... 28

AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION LOCAL 113............... 38

FAMOUS PEOPLE PLAYERS................................................ 30

RE/MAX/MS PAULETTE ZANDER...................................... 42

AUTO GENICS TOTAL AUTO SERVICE.............................. 30

FIRE SERVICES CREDIT UNION.......................................... 6

ROSEHAVEN HOMES......................................................... 60

BAJWA TAXI....................................................................... 38

FIREMEN MOVERS INC..................................................... 28

S G ENTERPRISES INC...................................................... 50

BASICS APPAREL INC......................................................... 38

FRASER FORD.................................................................... 28

SARDINHA O REI DOS FRANGOS..................................... 50

BAY BEECHWOODS ESTATES............................................ 38

HUMBER ARBORETUM GARDENS.................................... 60

SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY............................................ 50

BAY COLLEGE DENTAL CENTRE....................................... 60

IBMT INC/PROFESSIONAL BUILDING MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM............................................... 44

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JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY OF TORONTO.......................... 42 JR ENTERPRISES INC......................................................... 42 TEL X - KANTOR................................................................. 33 LAW FIRM OF MICHAEL WOLFISH................................... 42 LELAND INDUSTRIES........................................................ 42 M LUKIC ASSOC INS BROKERS LTD................................. 42 MAVEN DESIGN LTD......................................................... 42 MAXWELL BUILDING SERVICES....................................... 42 MULVEY & BANANI INTERNATIONAL INC...................... 50 PARS VIDEO....................................................................... 50 PAUL LOVE / CENTURY 21................................................. 10

SOCIETY OF ENERGY PROFESSIONALS............................ 44 ST JOHN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH........................................ 50 STAINTON-MURRAY-LAMB.............................................. 62 STARFIELD LION COMPANY............................................. 26 STORAGE STADIUM INC................................................... 44 STOUFFVILLE TOYOTA..................................................... 60 THE PERSONAL INSURANCE COMPANY.......................... 10 TRAVELODGE TORONTO EAST......................................... 50 TREMONT CAPITAL MNGT CORP/RISK ON BOARD........ 44 WEST END MEAT PACKERS............................................... 62 WISDOM ELECTRONICS................................................... 62

PHARMASAVE DRUGS....................................................... 50

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 | F I R E WATCH 63

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