Fire Watch (Winter 2012)

HALL SHOWCASE ON STATION 425 VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 4 | WINTER 2012

TPFFA 2012 Breast Cancer Research Campaign

Publications Agreement No: 41203011

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 8

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ISSUE 4

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WINTER 2012

IN THIS ISSUE 16

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30 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 FIRE WATCH is published quarterly by iMarketing Solutions Group on behalf of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association.

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

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President’s Message

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Secretary-Treasurer’s Message

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Vice President’s Message

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Chaplain’s Corner

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Letters to the Editor

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100 Years of Memories: Randy Burch

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Member Profile on Karl Gibbs

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Fire Fighter Survival & Rescue

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Firehall Showcase - Station 425

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DEVO - Red Light Camera

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2012 Breast Cancer Research Campaign

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Movember

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Children’s Christmas Party

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Welcome to the Dragon’s Den

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Fire Fighters Helping Burn Victims Beyond the Fire Scene

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The Starkman Cup

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Occupational Disease

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In Memoriam

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Never Shall We Forget

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Fit to Survive

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2013 Shift Calendar

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Behind the Mask

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3888 Recent Happenings

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2013 Upcoming Events

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Ad Index

DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION iMarketing Solutions Group

On The Cover

FIRE WATCH PHOTOGRAPHER Keith Hamilton CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL Agreement No: 41203011 PRINTED IN CANADA Copyright © 2012 Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association ADVERTISING publications@imkgp.com 1-800-210-8579 ext. 7806 (ask for publication advertising coordinator)

Week #3 winners: Fall 2012 Recruit Class.

For Pink T-shirt pictures please turn to page 26.

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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.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE IMPACT OF BUDGET CUTS TO TORONTO FIRE SERVICES

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s I am sure you are all aware at this time, the City has recently completed the 2013 Capital and Operating Budgets, which included proposals for major budget cuts to Toronto’s Fire Service that would have had a significant impact on many communities across the City. While some of the proposals were defeated at City Council, there will still be some impact to the way we provide fire services in the City.

It is important to review some of the key facts and circumstances surrounding this latest move to reduce the level of Toronto’s fire service, as well as examine the impact of the decisions that were made.

Immediately after amalgamation, and up until the present time, Toronto Fire had a complement of 128 apparatus.

The proposed downsizing would have permanently deleted five trucks (P213, P215, A324, P413, P424), closed one station (424), eliminated one district (12), removed the four fire Captains from FB335, eliminated much of our training staff and merged four other support positions, at a time where the population of Toronto has increased by over 300,000 people, with significant growth in highrise construction across the city. The staffing complement of Toronto Fire Services for 2013 would have gone from 3,176 to 3,072, a decrease of 104 positions, 101 of those being L3888 positions.

We have consistently reminded Council, that even at today’s levels, we are severely understaffed relative to comparable municipalities. Still, in an effort to save money, the City proposed moving forward on staffing cuts that would have put citizens and fire fighters at further risk.

Through a determined yet brief public relations campaign that employed numerous aspects and engaged a large number of our members, we were successful in demonstrating to a majority of Councillors that the proposed cuts contained in the budget recommended by the Mayor’s Executive Committee, would put not only the public at risk,

but also fire fighters in the targeted communities across the City.

The decision to defer a number of the frontline cuts until Council has received a number of additional reports came as a result of considerable efforts on the Council floor.

The City Manager and the Fire Chief stated that there would only be a “minimal impact” with these proposed cuts, but in our business, any impact means more loss of property, more injuries, or even more deaths.

While some Councillors continued to attack our actions, we gained an understanding from a large majority of Councillors who decided that major decisions to fire service levels should not be made hastily, without proper study.

In a vote of 38-7, Council moved to maintain 83 current positions until the Fire Underwriters Study and the Fire/ EMS Efficiency Review have been delivered and studied appropriately.

Throughout the budget process, your Association’s position has been that any of the proposed cuts would affect frontline service and have a negative impact on public safety. However, it is apparent that some proposed reductions will go ahead as planned. We do not agree with this and will work to ensure that the City understands the negative impact that these reductions will have. Already at Council, a number of motions have been introduced to look at the impacts that will occur as a result of this budget and seek solutions to address them.

I would like to thank the membership for your understanding throughout this difficult time and your willingness to get involved. We saw a high level of engagement from hundreds of our members. From our targeted literature and sign campaign to attending City Council, you stood up and made sure the decision makers knew that we would fight for public safety.

I also want to thank the special committee that was established to educate the public and City Council

Ed Kennedy

for a determined effort throughout a busy holiday season and their diligence through a brief and critical campaign.

This committee will continue to work as new developments arise in the coming months regarding this ongoing threat to public and fire fighter safety. We will utilize every resource at our disposal and we will be counting on all of our members to assist us in our efforts.

We have seen many recent examples of tragic events and natural disasters, where the public counts on their first responders to be there for them. We are usually the first on the scene and are committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect the public and minimize losses.

Politicians from all levels of government consistently acknowledge our commitment and dedication in the communities that we serve. Yet, often these same politicians later recommend cuts in the ranks of first responders in the name of “efficiencies”.

This is a frustrating and difficult time for those of us in the public service. We must continue to demonstrate and provide the highest level of professionalism at every emergency scene and whenever we respond to assist the public.

Finally, in this New Year, I wish all of the membership the very best in 2013.

The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association will continue to work on your behalf to ensure the safety and well being of our members and their families in the coming year and beyond.

Ed Kennedy President, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, I.A.F.F. Local 3888 W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH

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SECRETARY-TREASURER’S MESSAGE

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here is a lag time between writing an article for Fire Watch and when the final printed issue actually gets into the hands of our members. You must take this into account, as you can be writing something that can quickly become redundant. With that in mind, I will take my chances and write my article on our 2010 and beyond contract. There has been much discussion on this matter recently with the union notice that was released, updating the membership that the arbitration board was still meeting in order to come up with an award. Many members are not familiar with the arbitration process and thus, are not sure of what is taking place. I will try to answer questions I have heard in regard to the process and I will give a history on how we got here.

September 30, 2009, was our first meeting with the city to exchange our proposals for the contract that was going to expire on December 31, 2009. In total, twenty-nine meetings were held with the City’s bargaining team. The last meeting with the city, in regard to trying to negotiate a deal, was April 19, 2010.

While these meetings did not see the ultimate goal of a freely negotiated deal, there were many items that were agreed to. These agreed to items were sent to the arbitration board and will form part of the final award.

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to reach a collective agreement, but he/she has no authority to impose a settlement. It is not the function of the Conciliator to make judgments on the merits and positions of either side; he or she may make suggestions to either or both sides, but these suggestions are not binding and the parties are free to accept or ignore them. If the Conciliator feels he or she cannot effect an agreement, the Ministry of Labour will issue a letter stating that a Conciliation Board will not be appointed (the no-board report).

If conciliation fails, then you turn to the arbitration process. A first step is to appoint an advocate; in our case, it was Toronto Captain, Jeff Nester, a very experienced advocate. It is your advocate’s job to put your case forward to the arbitration board. The arbitration board is made up of the chair; the arbitrator, Mr. Kevin Burkett, a nominee from the employee side; Mr. Jeffrey Sack and one representing the city, Mr. John Saunders.

June 29, 2011 was our first meeting with Mr. Kevin Burkett, who at this point was acting as a mediator to try and settle the contract or reduce the issues going forward to arbitration.

There was a second mediation date of September 28, 2011. As you can see, the longest period of time was to get in front of the mediator/arbitrator. It took a year to get through this stage, as time was consumed by both sides having to

IT IS NOT THE FUNCTION OF THE CONCILIATOR TO MAKE JUDGMENTS ON THE MERITS AND POSITIONS OF EITHER SIDE; HE OR SHE MAY MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO EITHER OR BOTH SIDES, BUT THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE NOT BINDING AND THE PARTIES ARE FREE TO ACCEPT OR IGNORE THEM.

We filed for conciliation and that took place on July 12, 2010. Conciliation is the process in which a Conciliation Officer, appointed by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, acts as an intermediary between the negotiating parties to facilitate communication and settlement.

Conciliation is non-binding, but provincial law requires at least one meeting with a Conciliator before proceeding to arbitration. The role of the Conciliator is to confer with the parties and endeavour

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agree on the arbitration chair. If they are a well-respected arbitrator, then you are at the disposal of when they have dates available, which can take some time.

Our first hearing date with the arbitration board was on November 12, 2011, we met on five occasions and our last meeting was May 28, 2012. We had several written submissions after the last face-to-face meeting with the arbitration board. The current average length of

Frank Ramagnano

time in the Ontario Fire sector is 19 months from the start of the arbitration to the time that an award is issued.

The arbitration board has had several internal meetings and we are not informed when they happen, nor what has happened during those meetings.

We understand that there is an internal meeting of the arbitration board in February and we certainly hope that it will be their last, with an award being handed down shortly after that date.

This is all normal and the arbitrator cannot render a decision on his own without proper consultation of the two other nominees who form the arbitration board. It is the job of the arbitrator to try and get agreement on his/her decision from the other two nominees. This is sometimes not possible and the arbitrator will issue a decision. If they feel they are close or require more information, than they can call for additional information or further meetings.

While some believe that it is a long time to wait for a decision, one needs to consider how long you will be governed by the decision they make. My point is the board is considering issues that will impact our membership for 10 times longer than we are waiting for the award, so they must get the decisions right! If they need more time, more information and more debate, then so be it, as it could impact you for years to come. An example of this is the 42 hour work week we currently have. That was awarded in 1957; let’s assume the arbitration board took two years to decide to go from W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH

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Secretary-Treasurer’s Message...Continued from page 7

the 56 down to 42. We have been living with that decision for 56 years!

Arbitrators are intelligent people faced with the difficult job of trying to satisfy two parties who cannot negotiate an agreement themselves and they rely upon other freely negotiated settlements as a guide to their decisions. History has shown that only a 0.04% compensation difference exists between arbitrated

awards and freely negotiated agreements.

With that statistic in mind, I would say that arbitrators have accomplished their goal. It is inappropriate, to say the least, for public sector employers to criticize arbitrators, when it is they who have freely negotiated the settlements, which the arbitrators simply replicate.

In the end, it is vital that arbitrators be able to make their decisions fairly

and independently, rather than in response to the wishes of government.

We will keep the membership informed as things develop.

Frank Ramagnano Secretary - Treasurer, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888

Picture it...YOUR ad right here!

E-mail publications@imkgp.com or call 1-800-210-8579 ext. 7806 (ask for publication advertising coordinator) to assure your spot for the next issue.

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VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE? “A civilized society that can no longer feel outrage, can no longer be civilized.” – unknown

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ayne Boden.

Peter Czulinski. Richard Eldon.

Randy Burch. Ian Robertson.

These are the names of our five active members who passed away in 2012. Richard and Randy lost their battle to recognized workplace illnesses. Peter’s will hopefully be recognized as such in the future, while Wayne and Ian succumbed to other illnesses. We lost five active members this past year. Is there another Division in the city of Toronto that lost five of its members? I don’t think so. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be significant concern for this tragic loss. Our employer – the City of Toronto – gives a collective shrug and goes back to counting beans, pinching pennies and looking for “efficiencies.” I guess we are not dying efficiently enough for them yet.

I dare to ponder that if three workers in any other division died in the performance of their duties this year, the media would have headlines screaming for inquiries to be launched. If three Pickering nuclear workers passed away from radiation illness, would there be a Royal Commission established to investigate? But when it comes to fire fighters, we just die. It’s become acceptable – hardly noticed. Where is the outrage?

Maybe we need to examine our own priorities. We get more members out to march in the St Patrick’s Day parade than we do for our own annual memorial service. They both take place on a Sunday morning, so it’s not the day or the time that is the problem.

The annual FDNY Memorial Day sees thousands of fire fighters attend, to pay their respects to those members who are recognized for their sacrifice in giving their lives in the line of duty. You can see the evidence for yourself on YouTube©.

Is the FDNY more respectful of their fallen than Toronto Fire Fighters? Do they care more or have more compassion than we do?

The FDNY has a saying: “You have to be there for the walk.”

In other words, you better have a

good reason to miss a funeral for a fallen member. Generations of fire fighters pass this on like a rite of passage.

Toronto’s fire fighters have historically been well known for their compassion – our willingness to help those suffering.

Are we showing adequate compassion for our own fallen members? We see our share of suffering and human despair in this profession. Does it harden us and make it easy to turn away?

I know we are moved when we hear of tragic events such as the recent atrocity in Connecticut and the tragic shooting of fire fighters in Webster, New York, which saw many of our members travel to the funerals, leaving our families through the busy holiday season to pay our respects to those brave members of the fire fighting fraternity.

So, what do you think it is? Has it become acceptable for fire fighters to die in the performance of their job? Nothing to see here; move along. Where is our collective outrage?

Do we live busier lives? Do we have more family commitments? Coach more hockey teams? Live further away and have more difficulty commuting back to get involved than our FDNY counterparts?

I’m asking a lot of questions here that I don’t have answers for. One thing is certain, we are in a fight for our very lives! There are those in this city, decision makers at City Hall, who seek to radically change our profession. They care little for our traditions or our long record of dedicated service. They seek to tear down the very foundations of our profession and will be successful unless we collectively stand up and fight – not just for us today, but also for the future generation of Toronto Fire Fighters.

These people have an agenda and will not be deterred, as anyone who witnessed the recent rant of the Deputy Mayor at the budget debate can attest to. It is a very deliberate agenda, which shows little regard to the service we provide.

This isn’t about seeking “efficiencies”; this is a political agenda to attack our role in the provision of emergency services.

Damien Walsh

They call our profession obsolete and seek to eliminate it. They say, “there are no fires anymore.” Then why are our members still dying each year? Where is the outrage?

I urge each of our members to get educated and get involved. We showed what we could achieve at Council recently, but that was the first of what will be many battles ahead. Fewer fire fighters in the city means each one of us will have increased exposure to the toxins that cause our members to die each year. It means fewer fire fighters available to be there when we need them. It means fewer fire fighters to help pull that screaming voice from a fire.

To our fallen brothers this past year, we are grateful for your dedication and sacrifice. We must pledge to stand up, in your memory, so that the life you gave continues to be honoured and remembered.

I am proud to be a Toronto Fire Fighter. Every day, I walk with giants and am reminded that I am fortunate to work with those who exemplify the very best aspects of our profession. I urge you to find your own giants. They walk among us every day and inspire us to take bigger steps.

Finally, while we weathered a difficult 2012, without question, 2013 will also bring its share of challenges. I hope that each of you had an opportunity to enjoy some peace and happiness with your family through the recent holiday season as we now look ahead to whatever challenges we must face this year.

Damien Walsh, Vice President Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888 W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH

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CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

BY DAVID KING, NORTH COMMAND CHAPLAIN

A 5-Step Process to Making Sense

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his marks the sixth hour that I’ve been sitting in front of this keyboard with nary a thought, nor even a semblance of a thought, finding its way onto the screen.

The reasons for my “writer’s block” are many. I’m tired – this being written immediately following the hectic pace that accompanies Christmas and a new year; and I’m a tad disillusioned, as the enormity of the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings and the inexplicable ambush and assassination of volunteer fire fighters in Webster, New York still troubles me.

Now to be certain, my temporary inability to find some topic to comment on, comes not so much from being overwhelmed by other peoples’ realities, as it does from knowing that many (dare I say all?) of us experience moments in life that are so monumentally unsettling, that surviving them requires an almost Herculean effort. Alas, the death of a child or a spouse, a marriage breakdown, news of some lifethreatening illness, the necessary decision to entrust an elderly loved one to institutionalized care, all these, and others too, demand that we have some means or mechanism to steady us against the enormity of the situation.

It is against this backdrop that I find myself wanting to offer some sort of insight or strategy that is timely, relevant, and hopefully helpful.

In addition to my professional responsibilities, I, like all of us, have personal ones. Topping these is my commitment to be a good Dad. Continuing that has proven to be a little more difficult lately, given that my 19-year-old son has moved away and is now attending college. While at home, the two of us could make time for faceto-face conversations; now he prefers

that I guide, cajole, prod, encourage, and compliment, all by way of…text messaging. Apparently, emails are now passé, and speaking on the phone is reserved for the latest love interest – but I digress!

Not so long ago, after a less than stellar result on a test, I got this message from my son: “School useless. Thinking of going west to plant trees and live the mountain life. Thoughts?”

I replied: “A-U-DAA done?”

His response: “No. Will do and advise.”

A-U-DAA is an acronym for a sequential 5-step strategy that I came up with years ago to help me make sense of an experience. As it happens, I’ve used the method countless times since, each time with a different dilemma, and have now passed it along to my son as a way to help him tackle his troubles.

The A-U-DAA approach demands honesty from the person doing the exercise, along with a real commitment to see what’s actually going on, even if the insights aren’t pleasant. Because of that, the A-U-DAA can only be done effectively when the energy around an event or experience has dissipated enough to allow clarity of thought and intention to prevail.

For the purpose of test-driving the A-U-DAA, let’s use as a scenario, the idea that you’ve been told that an intimate relationship is over. These then are the five progressive platforms you’d work through: Step 1 - A = Acknowledge Acknowledge as fact that whatever the relationship was about, regardless of how much fun was had, or the amount of emotion invested into it, the other party to it has called it quits. You’re a free agent now, even if you don’t want to be.

Step 2 - U = Understand Understand (and own) what this turn of events means to you. How is it, or how will it impact your sense of identity?

How are you reacting this moment to

Rev. David King

NORTH COMMAND Rev. David King 905-375-7369 g_david_king@yahoo.ca this sudden change in circumstance?

Are you disappointed? Disillusioned?

Relieved? Why? Step 3 - D = Decide Decide how you’re going to live into the new reality that you’re facing. Will you be assuming the role of victim – receiving others pity? Will you become the villain – accepting all the responsibility for things that went wrong? Or are you deciding on another response, perhaps a more mature one?

Step 4 - A = Act Act in a way that demonstrates what your ‘go forward’ plan is. If you’re hopeful of another relationship, what is it you’ll be doing to find one? Will you be going to pubs, parties, a church, a grocery store, an online dating site?

Step 5 - A = Acknowledge Acknowledge to yourself and for yourself that you have the resolve, the resilience, and the resources to continue to live fully and well into whatever your future will hold.

So, there you have it; a very condensed version of the A-U-DAA approach to gaining clarity when confusion presents itself.

If you’d like greater detail, please get in touch.

One last thing…my son decided to forgo the forests. Seems like the night before his test, he made some choices involving adult beverages. Lesson learned.

Insight gained. Will he make the same choices again? Only time will tell.

This Dad lives in hope.

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s r e t t e L TO THE EDITOR

JAMIE BELL PARK REBUILD

I don’t remember what stations were involved, but I would like to give a huge heartfelt thanks to all those that were involved in the HGTV program “Make it Right” and gave their experience and help in the rebuilding of the “Jamie Bell” castle in High Park. You ladies and gentlemen don’t get enough credit and most people think that all you do is fight fires and handle emergencies.

I spent most of my adult life in Ontario after exiting the Air Force, and fifteen of those years were in Toronto. I moved back to the West Coast in 1998, as I could no longer take the heat, but very much miss Toronto.

Again, thank you from this old Surrey Lady.

ket, we were deeply appreciative of each and every man and woman that came and stood at attention in the honour guard. At the reception following, our family and friends all expressed how they were truly comforted and amazed by the service and the support the brotherhood offers one another. Randy would have been so very proud.

In addition, there are some special people that deserve individual mention. Paul Atkinson was there from day one of diagnosis, ten years ago, always giving us unyielding support and trustworthy direction. Kevin Ashfield and Hugh Doherty leapt in right away to

make arrangements at our home. They took care of every detail for the viewing, service and reception, along with Neil McKinnon; their capable work, and respectful, positive personalities made us feel incredibly well taken care of.

As we move along in our journey, Randy’s valorous spirit gives us courage and your continuing support, compassion and sympathy add to our confidence that we will be able to navigate the difficult road ahead. We will remember what you did for our family, always.

With utmost gratitude, Edith Burch

God Bless you all and please always be SAFE, Angela Dodds

TRAGEDY IN WEBSTER NEW YORK Chief Sales, Please pass along my thanks to all of your men and women that came down to Webster, New York last week. Our town will never forget our Brothers and Sisters from Toronto.

You must be one Proud Chief.

Craig W. Akins Chief W.F.D.

RANDY BURCH FUNERAL SERVICE On behalf of the Burch family allow me to express our deepest appreciation for the beautiful service you provided in honour of my husband Randy on November 16th 2012.

It showed us how much you recognized and valued his contributions to the department which he so proudly served. We will cherish the medal presented to us; indeed each formal moment (from the flag presentation through the bell ceremony to the reveille and pipes) helped us take a step in our hearts towards bearing our loss. The genuine, respectful words spoken by Chief Sales and Ed Kennedy meant a lot to us all. We were grateful to Chaplain Todd Riley for his kindness and openness in arranging the service along with Major Allen. Taking the painful last journey with Randy behind the truck bearing his cas-

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ANIMAL RESCUED FROM FIRE Thank you to the kind and caring fire fighter who took the time to save a poor helpless animal on January 16, 2013.

Pets are a really big part of most families and it is comforting to know that fire fighters and police try to save their lives, as well. What would we do without your services? You are out there putting your lives in danger with every call.

Thank you for your services and a special thanks to fire fighter Harkness.

Myrna

TPFFA CHRISTMAS PARTY Once again, on behalf of my family, thank you for another fabulous party. My wife and I and our grandson enjoyed every minute there and your volunteers did a bang-up job, as did the members of the Executive who were there again.

Thank you and have a great Christmas, Ed Swiderski

A THANK YOU NOTE TO ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE PETER CZULINSKI FUND As I write this, it is about a year since Peter first got sick and when Mark and I first started talking about raising some money to help Peter and his family. We could not have imagined the support we ended up receiving. Through the sale of the wristbands and donations to the cause, we raised just over $16,000. Peter was aware of, and very much appreciated, everything that was being done and it was his wish that we would use the money to help Heidi and the kids do some fun things. The following are a few of the things that we were able to do with the money: purchased a trampoline for the kids; completed a huge spring clean up of Heidi’s yard and home with help from a number of other firefighters; enrolled the kids in some great summer camps last year; bought a family pass for Canada’s Wonderland for the upcoming season; and we were able to help pay for a family vacation at Christmas this year.

In chatting with Peter’s wife recently, she said, “The money that was raised has been, and continues to be, a huge blessing to me and the kids. It has been wonderful to be able to do things both as a family and for the kids, and not have to worry about the costs.”

So we would like to thank all those people who made this possible, too many to name individually, but in general the brother/ sisterhood of the Toronto Fire Fighters, the different shifts end of season hockey tournaments, those people who donated their time to the yard clean up day, past and present members of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and, of course, Peter and Heidi’s family and friends.

In closing, we want to remind everyone to get to your doctor and get your physicals done FOR PETE’S SAKE! Once again many thanks, Chris Irwin P233 ‘C’ and Mark Daniels P332 ‘C’ Heidi, Emily, Adam and Colin Czulinski

FORESTDALE HEIGHTS LODGE Dear Emergency Workers, We are the members of Forestdale Heights Lodge, B’nai Brith, a Jewish social and community service volunteer organization. One of our Lodge’s principal activities is providing community service programs.

We recognize the outstanding work you do all year long protecting and helping the members of the community. When an emergency situation arises, be it a tire, a need for a police officer or an ambulance call, it is you who respond quickly and work as a highly organized team to keep us safe.

When we go to bed at night, we know you are patrolling the streets. When we wake up in the morning, and hear that yet another murder or a fire took place in our city, we are once again reminded that it is you, our brave police, firefighters and paramedic professionals who are out there putting yourselves on the line so that we can be protected.

We want to salute these contributions with a holiday gift to you and your team, and let you know all how much we appreciate what you do. You are truly the unsung heroes of our community.

We take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy, healthy and joyous holiday season.

Harvey Silver, Sr. Vice President

CANADIAN FIRE FIGHTERS MUSEUM Dear Sirs, On behalf of the board of the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum (CFFM), I’d like to thank you for your contribution to our fundraising campaign.

As you may know, CFFM has begun a major fundraising initiative in order to build a larger, more comprehensive museum to tell the story of firefighting in Canada on a national basis. Your contribution will help us make this dream a reality.

As the present museum location will be part of the remediation project of the Port Hope Area initiative, the museum must move within the next two years. In this time, we hope to raise $2,500,000 to be able to secure a new site within the Municipality of Port Hope’s downtown core.

As we move forward, you will be seeing and hearing a lot about the museum and we hope that we can count on your continued support as a contributor, a member and perhaps as one of our many volunteers.

For more information about CFFM, please see our web site at: www.firemuseum canada.com Thank you, Ken Burgin Chair, CFFM

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100 Years of Memories

BY EDITH BURCH, WIFE OF RANDY BURCH

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andy always said he would live to be 100 years old. In the end, I think he packed as much living, pure fun, enthusiasm, projects, hard work, and yes, story-telling into his 54 years, as some could only hope to do in 100 years.

He deeply appreciated life, and all his family, friends, and brothers and sisters at the Toronto Fire Services. He never held back doing what he wanted to do in life and encouraged us all to do the same.

Randy had many passions. He was a great outdoorsman (hunting, fishing, boating) and sportsman (golf, hockey, curling, skiing and soccer). He was also a craftsman, very happily engaged with his impressive arsenal of tools.

Randy was nicknamed “Duke,” by his best friend – and indeed it was after John Wayne. Growing up together and turning into young men, the “action” seemed to centre around Randy, the tall, goodlooking guy who people (and the ladies) took notice of. He had that confident, positive presence but never had a big ego. Also, though kind and helpful, Randy was never afraid to challenge anyone whom he felt was not playing by the rules!

Many people called Randy a perfectionist. I like to say that he had the determination, know how and patience

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to do things so that the outcome met his own expectations! This was evident in the bigger things, like building projects from downtown Toronto to Parry Sound, for which he built a business named “Duke’s Decks & Renovations.” This trait also came through in the smaller things, like the way he baked his famous Christmas shortbreads! Not only were they absolutely delicious, the shapes were perfectly cut and the sprinkles just so.

When the baking was finally done, Randy would sit down at the TV with a rye and Pepsi and a plate of warm shortbreads.

There, you would be sure to see this strong and capable man reduced to tears as the General was saluted in “White Christmas” or George Bailey realizes his good fortune in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Diagnosed in late 2002, with a primary malignant brain tumour, Randy was very brave and forthright regarding his illness.

He just wanted to know what it would take to get on with life. He had no trepidation about his brain surgery and I will always remember his big smile and wave as the girls and I approached him in the recovery room. In the ten years that followed, he continued to be just as optimistic and incredibly giving, putting his own illness aside to help others. He was always “there” for family, friends and even strangers, whether they needed a tool, fishing rod,

golfing partner or even just a good chat.

Indeed, he remained an advocate to the end, while spreading the safety message in the MASK-UP video campaign.

Randy was so honoured and proud to be a fire fighter. I enjoyed the stories shared about him on the job, in good health, such as the fact that due to his enthusiasm and speed, no one else was going to lay the hose if Randy was on the pumper (courtesy of J. Canestraro)!

Three weeks before Randy died, there was a moment that will stay with me forever. At this point, Randy could not walk or get up on his own, but retained such a wonderful demeanour that he was a pleasure to care for. Whenever we would hear sirens nearby, I would say, “There go the boys, Randy!” He would usually just nod, but on this day he looked deeply saddened. When I asked him what was wrong, he replied, “They’re going without me.” It broke my heart. Now we are all going on without him somehow.

I am grateful for the wonderful husband Randy was to me for 29 years and the parts of him that I can see in both our girls, Madeline and Julia; a great enthusiasm for life, creativity, inner strength, confidence and the love of organizing a good event or party!

Thank you, Randy, for watching over us...always.

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BY TONY MACDONALD, RETIRED TORONTO FIRE CAPTAIN

Member Profile

Have you ever thought about going hitchhiking?

Sticking out your thumb and getting into any car that stops for you? That is exactly what Karl Gibbs did when he was fifteen! He hitchhiked his way across Canada from Bracebridge to Vancouver and back during his summer break from high school.

K

arl was born in 1958 and grew up in Muskoka. He began a life of solitude adventures when he was only twelve. He would spend time on the water and in the bush, exploring the wonders of Mother Nature.

In his early teens, he was also learning the trade of carpentry, by building cottages with his father.

At age sixteen, he received his scuba diving certificate and was soon working in the area, repairing underwater plumbing lines for local cottagers.

At eighteen, Karl received his private pilot license and before long, he was flying for Townsend Air Services. Over the next six years, he built up over 1,000 hours of airtime. He was flying in Northern Ontario and also did a few solo trips back and forth between Muskoka and Florida.

When Karl was twenty-four, he was hired by Wardair to work in their maintenance department. Karl says, “I was hoping that this was my foot in the door to a career in the cockpit with Wardair.” Unfortunately, in just three years, the bottom fell out of the airline industry. “Wardair went under and my dreams of flying commercial jets were over,” he remembers.

Karl changed careers and entered the business world. Veeder16

Root, in Toronto, hired him and sent him to the States for training on their product line of industrial controls. He had always had an aptitude for mechanical and electrical applications. Over the next three years, he moved up in the company and ended up living in Vancouver as their representative for Western Canada. He got to use his flying skills, getting himself to mines and lumber and pulp mills around the west coast.

At age 30, “My wife and I decided that we wanted to travel the world. We quit our jobs, sold our home in Vancouver and put on our knapsacks. We went on a five-month ‘walk about’ in the South Pacific. It was an awesome time.”

They came back to Canada and moved back to their hometown of Bracebridge, Ontario. In June of 1989, Karl began his career with the North York Fire Department. With his carpentry background, he also began building homes in Muskoka.

Karl recalls, “Over the next ten years, my wife and I continued our world travels and became very involved in cycling. We took a tandem bike to Hawaii for six weeks and cycled the islands. In the fall of 2000, my wife and I separated and I again went back to my solo trekking. Over the next few years, I spent a lot of time exploring Central and South America and was also introduced to sailing!”

In the summer of 2001, Karl read a book that had an impact on his life. It was titled, “40,000 Miles in a Canoe.” It was a story of a man who circumnavigated the earth in a dugout canoe.

Karl owned a canoe and a fast ski boat, and had some basic sailing experience. This story piqued his interest into starting a new adventure. “I was now single, with no children, so what else was I going to do with my money but dump it into the water?” Karl laughed. He embarked on a sailing career.

His new sailing experiences started on Lake Ontario, where he received his basic keel certificate and has logged over 13,000 miles on the water since then. He bought a 26-foot boat, W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 16

on Karl Gibbs which he sailed on Lake Simcoe for two summers, including a six-week sail to the North Channel of Georgian Bay and back. He was now fully hooked on big water sailing!

In the fall of 2004, Karl signed up for a one-year deferred leave from Toronto Fire Services. He sold his 26-foot boat and began searching for a boat that he would take south on a one-year sailing sabbatical. The boat he decided to buy was a 34-foot Hunter 340 that he named “WANDERLUST”.

Three years went by fast, as he improved his sailing skills on Georgian Bay and completely outfitted WANDERLUST. On Sept. 7, 2007, he left Georgian Bay and headed south with a friend who was going to help him get the boat to New York City.

The first part of his journey would be accomplished without sails. They would be using only the small diesel engine to navigate through the lock systems. With almost 100 locks in the Trent Waterway and the Erie Barge Canal, it requires a minimum crew of two.

Three days later, when they were just southeast of Simcoe on the Trent Canal, his friend jumped ship. He hadn’t told Karl that he was having marital problems and had hoped to sail away from them.

They shook hands and his friend went back to work on his marriage, while Karl

continued on his own.

Moving a 34-foot boat in and out of locks without help was challenging, but Karl managed it with few incidents.

Travelling across Rice Lake was interesting because his boat has a draft of 4-½ feet. Rice Lake has areas that are not that deep, and he also had to reverse every ¼ mile or so to remove the weeds from the keel and rudder.

After his last lock on the Trent Canal, he made a 12-hour night crossing of Lake Ontario. He arrived at Oswego, New York and cleared Customs to enter the States. Now he was ready to start through the 45 locks in the Erie Barge Canal system.

Navigating the Erie Barge canal was a bit of a challenge on his own. Handling nasty currents that were pushing his 15,000-pound (plus supplies) boat around in the locks created a few new scratches on the WANDERLUST and himself. After ten days, he exited the last lock and entered the Hudson River.

The person that he had bought WANDERLUST from had become a good friend by then and he came aboard to help Karl step and rig the mast. Together, they sailed to Cape May. “It was a pleasure to have his company onboard the boat for the week and we had a blast in New York City for two days.”

Alone again, Karl went up the Delaware Bay to the C and D canal to the top end of Chesapeake Bay. “I had an awesome day of sailing Delaware Bay with twenty knots of wind on my beam and the tide coming back in on my stern. I was punching out eight to nine knots all day, racing with some faster catamarans. I finally set anchor that night after fourteen straight hours of running, and the owners of the ‘cats’ provided me with a wonderful meal.”

He sailed 350 miles down the Chesapeake, “Busting through crab pot markers every day,” with a two-day stopover in Annapolis, Maryland. He continued down to Norfolk, Virginia.

Norfolk is home to the largest Naval base in the world.

“The Chesapeake is an amazing body of water to sail and you could spend a lifetime there exploring nature, in awe of the power of the United States with all the huge Naval vessels towering over you.”

He then sailed down “the ditch”, which is what sailors call the InterCoastal Waterway, into North Carolina.

This turned out to be, as Karl explains it, “A dug out river that is a few hundred feet wide and seven feet deep, through swamp and grass land, with lots of flies. I grounded out a few times when I ventured five to ten feet off of the navigation markers. I also ran across

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Member Profile on Karl Gibbs...Continued from page 17

on Karl Gibbs

open inlets out to the ocean that got pretty nasty with bad weather.”

He spent two days in Coin Jock, Northe Carolina at a marina where he hitchhiked five miles to a town where he could get supplies. On the way back to his boat, they hit a deer! Karl and the driver dressed it that night, “I was off in the morning with fresh meat in my freezer. I sometimes kid people now, that this was the thing I remember most about my trip.”

He then stopped in Charleston, South Carolina. After a few days of needed rest and relaxation, he decided it was time for his first taste of real off shore sailing.

“Mud was off the anchor at 4:00 that morning,” and he nervously set out to sail 80 miles off the coast with a rhumb line to St. Augustine, Florida.

“Being off shore for the first time on your own in 20 knots of wind and 15 to 20 foot swells has its own challenges. It involves a lack of sleep, due to napping in 20-minute intervals. This is the way of life for single-handed sailors. The boat is on auto helm, and the radar alarm is on to alert me to other vessels in proximity. After every nap you wake up to the same thing, look around for shipping traffic and check for any repairs that need to be done. Another obstacle I had to watch out for is large semi-submerged containers that had fallen off of freighters! The first time I radioed the Coast Guard was on this leg of my trip. It was around midnight.

I woke up from a nap to what I thought was a sunrise, and I thought, ‘it can’t be!’ A big glow of orange was coming up in the east, and I wondered if I had slept all night. My watch said 12:10 a.m.

The Coast Guard asked me to switch to channel 77. When they confirmed only one soul aboard and the time, I asked, ‘why is the sun coming up?’ They laughed and said, ‘Welcome to single handed ocean sailing sir,’ and that it was an orange moon greeting me.”

“That morning all hell let loose off the Brunswick inlet, which is on the

border of Georgia and Florida. The wind was coming into my bow at 25 to 30 knots in a real nasty ten-foot chop. I had to put up the iron sail, which is the onboard diesel engine, and made way at three knots for nine hours toward the closest inlet, at Fernandina.

Florida. It was sheer hell! I had to refuel with five gallon cans in heavy seas, ending up with more fuel spilled all over the boat than in the tank.”

The leg down the Inter Coastal Waterway to south Florida was a breeze with sunny warm days and enjoyable evenings with company he had met. When passing by the Kennedy Space Center, he got to see just how big the Vehicle Assembly building is.

They had just finished doing a rocket test burn. The sky was yellow green with heavy smoke, and ash was collecting all over his boat. “I should have brought an SCBA with me!”

“With the tall mast, it was a problem waiting for bridges to open, and praying that my engine did not quit. If it did, with the strong currents, I had to hope I could get an anchor set in time to stop me before I hit something. I did take out one navigation marker when I was down below deck under sail, when the auto helm went wacky. It was an expensive marker with a solar panel on top. On November 17, he arrived in Miami and pulled into a slip at a marina for a well-deserved long break.

His first week in Miami involved boat repairs and getting his land legs back.

He spent the next few weeks hanging out with his friend Mirta and her friends.

He also took in the Christmas Fiesta

season with Ross Macdonald and his wife, Sue. Ross is a retired Captain from Station 121, Platoon C. After six weeks, “I bid everyone farewell, and left at 4:00 a.m. to head to the Bahamas. That’s a story for another time.”

Karl has recently purchased a 46-foot, 36,000-pound Hunter 466 sailboat, which he named SOLITUDE. He is outfitting it now with a view to a new adventure. Karl is now looking forward to possibly circumnavigating the earth when he retires from TFS. W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 19

&

FIRE FIGHTER

SURVIVAL RESCUE &

Photo Credit: Larry Thorne

RIT? SERIOUSLY? (Part 4)

BY GEOFF BOISSEAU AND JOHN MCGILL, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTERS

You make contact with the downed fire fighter and go through your mental checklist: Who is it? Check their air supply? Are they breathing? How can I help? How can I not make it worse?

S

uddenly behind you there is a large crash…seriously – tick, tock.

What the hell was that? Holy shit, things are changing. The neutral plane is coming down, visibility is about to be zero, it is getting hot fast. What the hell happened? The fire is getting air from somewhere, are we in the flow path? That is not good – Remember our (expletive) training – get ready to get out – tick, tock.

You hit your emergency button – “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY…First Floor,” is all you get out when you hear the blast of an Air Horn, three in a row – something is not good, something is going on again.

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The neutral plane is coming down – it is hotter than a…Time to go – seriously.

You turn and can see the driver; she has her downed guy hooked up to the Rescue Air. She is clipping the RIT bag to his waist belt and getting ready to drag him…cripes, you can see the smoke and flame banking down just above her head…and yet she is still going… incredible. She is solid.

You turn to your fire fighter, you have determined that he is breathing, but is unresponsive. Gage and DeSoto will revive him, whoa – concentrate on the present and not on your heroes. Holy shit – the adrenaline is pumping now. I guess he won’t be aware if something hurts

when I move him, you think to yourself as you dial back into the present…guess that’s a good thing because given the fire conditions, you will be doing a quick, really quick, package. Remember our (expletive) training – get ready to get out – tick, tock.

We need to move NOW. Quickly you convert his SCBA waist belt to a harness and you crawl to his head. The rookie is back beside you now, he is practically laying on the floor it’s so hot…hot damn, you can see the shield on his helmet starting to warp from the heat. He is going to love that when he tells his buddies about this…IF we get out of here. The heat and flames are travelling right down the portal that you made W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 20

earlier to get to these two guys; you can feel it through your PPE. It’s too hot… not sure that this is the way I want it to end, you think to yourself. I mean, it’s better than having the chest tightener at home because of poor diet and lack of exercise…and it should be one hell of a big department funeral…but not yet…

I’m not ready for this – my wife will kill me! Remember our (expletive) training – get ready to get out- tick, tock.

You look at the rookie beside you, he is trying to help but he is scared…damn you are scared too…time to focus… time to get your shit together and figure this out. Looking down the portal you cannot see the driver, her downed fire fighter, or your AC anymore because of the smoke – you can’t even lift your head off the ground now because of the heat…damn…this is NOT good.

Not sure if I’m going to get out of this one. Suddenly, you feel a wave of cool air rushing all around you…you still can’t see though. You can hear a hose line spraying water...ok, now we are in business. You stick your head up and it has cooled down substantially. You tap the rookie on the shoulder, “Ok, let’s move.” He doesn’t have to be told twice, he is up and moving almost before you finish your sentence. He crawls down to the downed fire fighters’ feet while you position at his head and grab his shoulder

straps. Visibility is a bit better and the temperature is manageable. “Ok, on my count,” you yell to the Rookie.

The two of you start pulling/pushing the downed fire fighter away from the fires of Mount Doom in the black land of Mordor. Not far down, you bump into the hose team, you exchange a thankful glance with the guy on the nozzle, he nods at you, but they are focused on their task. Man, oh man, talk about being in the right place at the right time. We sure were lucky, you think.

Then it hits you like a ton of bricks… it wasn’t luck, your AC must have requested a protective hose line once he saw the conditions you were facing on the interior. You smile…gotta remember to buy that guy a beer. You continue dragging the downed fire fighter down the tunnel, this seems to be taking a long time, didn’t seem that far when we were crawling in.

Shit! LOW AIR ALARM. Suddenly arms are reaching all around you, grabbing the downed guy and yourself and the rookie…You are all being pulled out of the building by what seems like 100 people. It’s chaos; fire fighters have ripped the downed fire fighter from you and are carrying him to an awaiting stretcher – maybe it truly is Gage and Desoto.

You are outside now and take off your helmet, peel your hood back, take off your mask, take a deep breath of fresh

cool air, like a York Peppermint Patty, and think: well, my wife isn’t going to kill me. Now find your team and tell the AC, “Nice call on the hose line, guess you’re not just a good cook after all,” and laugh about it and pretend it was no big deal – just another day at the office.

In the morning, go home, kiss the kids before they leave for school, and when the house is empty, curl up in the fetal position.

You are snapped back to reality when the driver comes over and puts her arm around you and says what the (expletive) happened…where is the AC? The rookie is sitting off by himself staring at his helmet, he doesn’t know if he is punched or bored. He looks up at you, “That was RIT…seriously!”

Something is not right; you feel it in the pit of your stomach. “Where is our AC?” you ask with reality crashing in.

“Where is the (expletive) AC? Where is the (expletive) AC?” you are yelling now. “The building is (expletive) roaring.

Where is the (expletive) AC?” Then you notice a figure silhouetted by the flames rolling in the background; it’s your AC in burned up bunker gear.

As he strolls over, he gives you an exhausted smile.

“Remember our (expletive) training,” he says. “Captains are first in, last out.

I wasn’t leaving any of you behind – Seriously!”

Photo Credit: Larry Thorne

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STATION 425

BY JON LASIUK, ACTING CAPTAIN

A

student of architecture would be quick to point out that many of Toronto’s fire stations share the same basic designs. Whether it be the one-storey cottage style stations preferred by the Etobicoke Fire Department between the 1950s and the 1970s or the “big box” multi-bay stations preferred by the Toronto Fire Department during their period of station consolidation in the 1960s and 1970s, many design features are found repeatedly throughout the city.

Occasionally though, one comes across an entirely unique fire hall. One such hall is Fire Station 425, located at 83 Deforest Road.

In the late 19th Century, the area surrounding the original City of Toronto was referred to as the Township of York.

Swansea was a part of York Township, at its southwestern tip.

By 1926, the residents of the Swansea neighborhood had voted to separate from the Township of York and form their own, small municipality – the Village of Swansea.

Geographically small in size, Swansea was bordered by the lakefront railway tracks to the south and the Humber River to the west. The eastern boundary transected High Park in a line running roughly down the middle of Grenadier Pond. The northern boundary ran behind the businesses that fronted the south side of Bloor Street, in Toronto, until the point where Bloor Street dipped south at South Kingsway. Here, the border 22

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followed the same straight line, cutting right through many businesses on the north side of Bloor Street.

A volunteer fire district had been formed to protect the residents of Swansea as early as 1919. Fire protection was provided with hand-drawn hose reels and rudimentary equipment.

A small fire hall was constructed on the site of the present Deforest Road station, to house the hose reel.

With the formation of the village in 1926, the now independent Swansea Fire Brigade required larger quarters in which to house their first motorized piece of fire apparatus. Accordingly, in 1930, Swansea Council approved $15,000 for the construction of a twostorey fire hall with office space for other municipal offices.

Swansea enlisted the services of architect Robert McGiffin to design the new building. A WWI veteran, McGiffin was already well known in the area, having designed two local churches. The design consisted of a single, doublewide apparatus bay fronting onto Deforest Road Minimal facilities were designed onto the second floor, as it was not envisioned that full-time fire fighters would be staffing the hall.

As the Village wanted to make good use of the building, a large, walk-in safe was installed in the basement for the safekeeping of municipal cash and important documents. A small jail cell was also constructed near the safe.(the irony of which was probably not lost upon the Village constables). The firm of Sinclair and Hebbes was contracted to do the bulk of the construction. By 1931,

the new hall was in service.

The single-bay station soon proved to be a tight fit for Swansea’s early motorized fire apparatus. By the late 1950s, the department was planning for the replacement of their 1941 pumper and 1952 quad ladder truck, both built by Bickle-Seagrave.

It was obvious that modern fire apparatus would no longer fit in the Swansea hall.

Foreseeing this, the Village expropriated the property to the east of the hall. A second apparatus bay was constructed, doubling the space available for storing apparatus.

A 1960 quint, with an 85’ aerial, 750 g.p.m. pump and 100 gallon booster tank was purchased from the Thibault Co. of Quebec. This rare and unique apparatus was the only one of its kind within Metro Toronto.

Five years later, Swansea purchased what would be its last fire apparatus. A beautiful Mack “C”-model pumper was delivered in 1965. Due to the extremely low apparatus bay door, Mack lowered the height of the rig’s roof light by cutting a hole in the cab roof. The truck just fit.

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Station 425...Continued from page 23

Metropolitan Toronto. After a sometimes bitter political battle that would mirror the later amalgamation of 1998, the province dictated that the City of Toronto would annex both Swansea and Forest Hill on January 1, 1967. While the full-time fire department in Forest Hill was folded into the T.F.D., none of the Swansea volunteers chose to pursue employment with the Toronto Fire Dept.

At midnight on January 1, 1967, a lone Toronto Fire Fighter was detailed to stand floor watch at the Swansea firehall – now numbered T.F.D. Station 16 – in the event of a still alarm. At 08:00 that morning, Toronto Pumper 16 went into service, reactivating a station number that had not been used in Toronto in more than 30 years. It would be another thirteen days until the truck got its first call.

The T.F.D. made good use of the old Swansea rigs. The 1960 quint was quickly transferred to Station 31 on nearby Runnymede Road, becoming the one and only true quint on the pre-amalgamation T.F.D. Both it and the 1965 Mack remained in service well into the 1980s.

With the introduction of the 1994 Master Fire Plan, the T.F.D. sought to redistribute several fire companies.

One move resulted in the relocation of the Runnymede Road aerial back to Swansea. Neither rig would fit into the hall at the same time, resulting in two spare apparatus being placed into service at Station 16. The move was short-lived as the extremely small living quarters proved wholly insufficient to house two full crews. At the same time, the apparatus floor began to show the strain of the weight of two modern, heavy fire apparatus. Within a few months, the aerial was back at Runnymede Road.

With amalgamation in 1998, Pumper 16 was allocated a new 2002 Spartan/ Smeal rescue-pumper, redesignated as Rescue 425. It was the first brand-new rig issued to the station since 1965.

While several plans and studies have recommended replacing or moving the old Swansea fire hall over the last several decades, the station has so far survived the wrecker’s ball. Although not the most modern of facilities, old Station 16 continues to play an important role in the protection of both Swansea and the entire west end of the City of Toronto.

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Apparatus Fire Statio Assigned to n 425 Rescue 4

25 2002 Sparta n/ 5000 l.p.m Smeal .

Rescue-Pum per Shop # 25 022

INFRACTIONS – THE YEAR OF ZERO

BY DEVO COMMITTEE

T

he Driver Education and Vehicle Operation (DEVO) Committee met again last month at Station 114. The Committee is comprised of various Toronto Fire Members, including, Trevor Trotter, Matt Woodrow, Mike Ogle, Josh Kramer, Ted Kular, Gerald Pyjor, Gord Tewnion, Rick Cooper, Rodney Johnston, and Robert Gutray. The Committee tries to meet on a quarterly basis and discusses various aspects of apparatus operation pertinent to the TFS. Topics include reviewing relative SOGs, current safety initiatives and making suggestions to enhance the safety of both TFS personnel, as well as the citizens we serve in the City of Toronto.

The goal of the DEVO Committee remains the same: • Improve driving skills across the TFS • Reduce collisions citywide • Educate our drivers, and most importantly, • Make recommendations for improvement One aspect of our driving still remains a concern: red light camera infractions.

While overall infractions are actually trending downward, we still need to aim to get this number to zero occurrences. One only has to look at the seriousness of two recent incidents in Mississauga and Vaughan to understand why we need to be compliant with this issue.

Let’s take a look at the following statistics for red light camera incidents.

• 2009 – 74 infractions • 2010 – 53 infractions • 2011 – 41 infractions • 2012 – 18 infractions – as of the end of October Red light infractions are a serious offence; not just for you and your crew, but to the citizens of Toronto that we are here to protect. Fines for such offences can exceed $300 and can possibly result in disciplinary action against the driver. We need to come to a complete stop (no matter what the time of day) with lights and sirens sounding; then proceed only when we are certain the way is clear. If we all stick with this simple guideline, our numbers are sure to drop to zero in the New Year.

If drivers do not allow apparatus to come to a complete stop, this action may trigger a red light camera and could possibly result in a ticket. Cameras are installed at random intersections throughout the city and are programmed to detect these types of infractions.

Toronto Fire Fighters continue to be highly professional

when it comes to driving within our community. Personal pride in our profession is the common denominator between all of us, no matter what our background or previous experience. Things like parking out of the way when conducting department business and idling the truck in accordance with department guidelines not only make sense, but helps to protect our valuable public image in these difficult fiscal times.

Also, appearing properly dressed in the appropriate uniform while interacting with the public ensures a good impression with the people who pay taxes and our salary. These are good examples of how we maintain our professional, courteous image, which are an important part of our jobs. We have collectively worked hard over the years to establish and maintain what is considered by many to be the “Gold Standard” of public support. Let’s keep up the great work!

Recent changes in Health and Safety Legislation have underscored the importance of maintaining our professional attitude toward our driving. Doing otherwise could have serious consequences.

OHSA Bill C45 states: “Every one who undertakes, or has the authority, to direct how another person does work or performs a task is under a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to that person, or any other person, arising from that work or task.”

Bill C-45 also added Sections 22.1 and 22.2 to the Criminal Code imposing criminal liability on organizations and its representatives for negligence (22.1) and other offences (22.2).

This means as Captains and Acting Captains, we could be criminally responsible for the actions of our drivers and our crews as a whole. We need to continue to think about safety as a team, with each member doing their part to ensure that we all go home at the end of the shift. Generally speaking, we do a really good job of this and must keep striving to improve.

With thanks to the many drivers, Captains and crews that help them do a great job, we will continue to be the best fire service in Canada, something of which I know you are all very proud.

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Breast Cancer 2 1 20

Research Campaign

F

or the second year, Toronto Fire Fighters participated in a breast cancer awareness and fundraising campaign during the month of October, in support of women fighting cancer. The campaign benefits the new Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Centre, housed at Sunnybrook Hospital, the largest hospital in Canada. It plans to open the Centre in April 2013.

Local 3888 fire fighters sold 1,800 pink T-shirts, raising $17,500 for the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Centre. “That’s $4,500 more than last year,” said Toronto President Ed Kennedy. “We were really pleased with the campaign’s continued success.”

Local 3888 fire fighters wore the T-shirts on duty on Wednesdays, as per an agreement with fire department management. “This enabled all shifts to wear the shirt on duty,” said Kennedy. “We made it more interesting for the membership by awarding a prize each week to the best picture of members wearing the shirts.”

Breast cancer has been shown to have a higher incidence statistically for women in the Fire Service. Worldwide, breast cancer accounts for 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) in women. In 2008, breast cancer caused 458,503 deaths worldwide (13.7% of cancer deaths in women). Breast cancer is more than 100 times more common in women than in men, although men tend to have poorer outcomes due to delays in diagnosis.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Toronto Fire Fighters presented a cheque to Dr. Danny Vesprini in the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Centre.

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Breast Cancer Research Campaign...Continued from page 27

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Local 3888’s

“Show Us Your Shirt” Contest Winners!

Local 3888 asked crews to take and submit photos of them wearing the pink T-shirts that they had purchased in support of Breast Cancer Research. Each week, a winner was announced and their photo posted on the Association’s website. The winners received a DVD copy of the Detroit Documentary “TOO HOT FOR BURN” featuring more than 80 minutes of firefighting outtakes.

Here are the winning crews from each of the four weeks: Week #1 (October 3rd – “A” Platoon on duty)

Station 341

Week #4 (October 24th – “D” Platoon on duty)

Week #2 (October 10th – “B” Platoon on duty)

Week #3 (October 17th – “C” Platoon on duty)

Station 345

Fall 2012 Recruit Class

Station 331 President Ed Kennedy handing out the prize at our union office to one of the winning crew members.

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SUPPORTI NG PROSTATE CA NCE R & M ALE ME NTAL HEALTH I NITI ATI VE S

y Fortun, Mark Wrenchko, Dann nderson, He Stu Dave Cranswick, grove Sea ter Pe , ng eri ck Brad Pu n. sse Ka and Tom

Movember 426 D

Movember 312 – Terry Conley, Josh Chisholm, Tom Jordan and Patrick Doyle.

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oronto Fire Fighters had some fun this past November, while bringing awareness to an important cause.

“Movember” is a month-long fundraising campaign where male participants, known as Mo Bros, start the month of November with a clean-shaven face, then grow their stylish moustache throughout the month. This hairy ribbon is designed to start conversations about prostate cancer and men’s health issues. Funds raised go toward research and survivorship programs, driven by Prostate Cancer Canada.

“I’m really excited to do something for a worthy cause,” said Neil McKinnon, Toronto Fire Fighter. “This gave us an awesome opportunity to do something for a great and important cause while having a little fun, too.”

“It was great to see fire fighters jumping on board and supporting prostate cancer awareness. The 2012 Movember campaign has been truly remarkable. We were overwhelmed at the number of Toronto Fire Fighters who have supported the prostate cancer cause by growing and grooming a moustache and having conversations about the disease,” said President

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Ed Kennedy. “It was fun seeing the photos and seeing the progress of fellow moustache growers across our service.”

Toronto Fire Fighters raised $29,800 during the month and were part of the Great Canadian Fire Team that raised $425,742.

“Firefighters are more prone to cancer after exposure to smoke and toxins,” said Paul Atkinson, Ontario Fire Fighters Occupational Disease advocate. “Even with the best respiratory practices and protective equipment, exposures will continue to occur due to absorption through the skin once a fire fighter has become soaked during fire suppression activities.”

Unfortunately, Ontario has fallen behind all other Provinces that have presumptive cancer legislation. This means that Ontario Fire Fighters, who are diagnosed with certain cancers, are not automatically recognized as contracting their illness through their work, leaving families behind without full benefit coverage. Prostate Cancer is one such cancer that statistically, fire fighters are more likely to contract, which makes Movember that much more significant for participants.

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Aziz Dousheh

Dennis Halapir P424

Craig Vanderlaan 224

Fire Prevention Members Acting Captain Drew Ellery and Inspector Andrew Sabine

Rob Hewson 245 D

Dave Durocher of 342 D shift

Darryl Gage

Boisvert Family

John Schut 415

Greg Goertzen 443 C

Kevin Brown 331

Ryan Redwood

John Dyer 115

The Crew of 312-B

Stuart Way 331

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Recipe for a Successful

Christmas Party 2,000 Juice Boxes 80 Pounds of Pasta 18 Inflatables 2,880 Bags of Chips 1,800 Ice Cream Cups 2,100 Bottles of Water 1,050 Hamburgers 1,504 Hot Dogs 2,784s Pizza Slices 1,200 Presents 143 Elves (Volunteers) 3,000 Guests Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus!

All photos by Gerlando Peritore, Toronto Fire Fighter 32

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Children’s Christmas Party F

or the 14th year, Toronto Fire Fighters held our Children’s Christmas Party in partnership with Variety Village. On Saturday, December 15, 2012, over 1,200 fire fighters’ children enjoyed a fun-filled day, while helping a great charity.

Many of the 1,200 children in attendance also donated toys to the Toronto Fire Fighters Toy Drive. “It is just great to see the amount and quality of toys we receive from those attending,” said Frank Ramagnano, Christmas Party Chair. “What a great lesson for our kids to be able to help other children not as fortunate as themselves.”

This event has helped to raise over $250,000 for Variety Village. “It has been a tradition with Toronto Fire Fighters to help others and this is just a win-win situation for both organizations,” said Ed Kennedy, President of the Toronto Fire Fighters.

Throughout the course of the day, the children enjoyed a number of activities including inflatable rides, a rock climbing wall, an obstacle course, face painting, airbrush tattoos, sports games, and various arts and crafts. Inflatables were also brought in for older children to practice their balance and aiming skills.

While some raced through the inflatable obstacle course, others

were proudly showing off the prizes they had won at the games, or the tattoos and face paintings that they had obtained. Nearby, crowds of children and parents alike were gathering to watch balloons being twisted and transformed into almost anything their hearts desired.

The highlight of the day, of course, was the special appearance of Santa Claus, who took time out of his busy schedule to join the party. The wait for Santa was well worth it, as the excitement could be seen on all of the children’s faces.

Between the visits with Santa and the many other attractions, attendees had an opportunity to relax and enjoy the variety of excellent food available. Popular menu items included hamburgers, pizza, pasta, hot dogs, french fries and the addition of ice cream cups this year were a big hit with the hungry masses. Some of the other treats included old-time favourites such as popcorn and cotton candy. The Christmas party is a great opportunity for both children and parents to celebrate and be proud of belonging to the TPFFA family.

Plans are already underway for our 2013 party, which will take place on November 30th.

Toronto Fire Fighters Toy Drive Donation Winners!

Five-year-old April Wellwood and two-year-old Fay Wellwood, daughters of Toronto Fire Fighter, Sean Wellwood, were the happy winners of an X-Box 360 Kinect gaming system. The girls first made a generous toy donation to the Toronto Fire Fighter Toy Drive at the Christmas party and then upon winning the contest, they once again showed their incredible generosity and donated the X-Box to their church as a fundraising item!

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Welcome the

BY JIM SILVERTHORN LOCAL 3888 MEMBER, FIRE PREVENTION Have you ever found yourself somewhere you never really expected to be?

How about riding along in a small bus with 17 friends that you have only known for about 5 months? What makes this day more surreal is that we are all in Florida on our way to an international dragon boat race at Disney World!

In May of this year, many members came forward to answer the call from the dragon boat flyers that were posted by the team captain, Jason Eyers. The flyers explained that the team was in their second year and that anyone from TFS was welcome, regardless of age or physical condition. Seeing as you could try it out and pay as you go, until the decision is made to join, allowed for many new faces to come out this season.

The boat is like a canoe that’s been exposed to a nuclear disaster, as it holds twenty paddlers, plus someone steering and a drummer (not Keith Moon). Paddles and life vests are provided at Sunnyside, where we practiced twice a week at 18:00 hrs.

The first time in the boat is interesting, to say the least.

Before you get into the boat, someone will give you an idea of how to paddle. Once everyone is in the boat and you push away from the dock, the order is given to “back her out.” Not paddling quite together, the boat moves back from the dock.

You soon hear the familiar orders, “let her run”, “hold the boat” and “take her away.” Everyone starts to paddle and the amateurs watch the experienced paddlers while the boat starts to move forward. The order to “bring her up” and “reach out” causes the boat to move at a more gallant speed.

At this point, as a beginner, you are quite surprised at how much energy and coordination it takes. Within about two minutes you have decided it’s too much work and you just want to survive the hour without embarrassing yourself by admitting total exhaustion.

After the hour is over you plan to take off, never to be seen again. To put icing on the cake, every few minutes the coach will point out to you personally a list of the 10 things you are doing wrong.

The hour slips by and the boat comes into the dock.

You get out exhausted, but feeling good you survived it.

As you go onto the beach, the entire crew is lined up 34

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to Dragon’s Den giving high fives. You start to feel like you’re part of the team.

The funny part is, on the drive home you think maybe you will try it just one more time…

Next thing you know, you wake up at Disney World.

When I went to the first practice, I would have never imagined being a competitive dragon boater competing at international competitions. However, there is something about this sport or team that keeps you coming back. In order to describe the excitement involved in the sport, I will describe our last race in Orlando.

We get called to race and as you walk to the boat, you get a tense feeling in the pit of your stomach. When we paddle out to the course doing practice starts, we try to get into the groove together and set our minds for the 2 minutes and 20 seconds of hell that is ahead of us.

The course is marked out with buoys, beginning with a starter boat. The boats are numbered 1 through 6 and instructions are given over the PA to move the boats into starting position. At this point everyone in the boat is silent and doing very deep breathing to get as much O2 in as possible.

The coach screams, “Race ready!” and we reach out with our paddles buried half in the water. We are now seconds away from bringing 3,600 lbs. of dead boat to full speed in about 25 paddle strokes. The starter says, “Attention!” and the gun goes off.

The rest is why you practiced and why you came here, as you give everything you have. If one person were not there, we would not have a chance.

At the end of the Disney race, we were completely exhausted, but we knew we flew the boat! When we got on shore we found out that we had won gold and two other Canadian teams

had won silver and bronze. We all got on the podium and sang a perfect “O Canada.”

Seriously, we had a great year. The team is made up of men and women from operational and support divisions. We attended races in Welland, Hamilton, Toronto (3) and Orlando.

We accomplished a lot this year, winning many of the festivals and races that we entered. We were also able to defend the Public Service Cup, competing against the Toronto Police, Ambulance and Military teams. We even had the privilege of having Olivia Chow come onto our boat to be our drummer and cheer us on as we beat the cops.

The team works and plays hard together with much mutual respect for one another. We all get a vote in what we are doing and where we are going. Next year we are going to New Orleans in May and possibly back to Orlando in October to defend the gold.

For 2013, we will be on the water twice a week, starting May to September. It costs $250 for the season and $10 at the beginning per practice that will be applied against your season fee if you join. You are welcome to come out and try it out at any point in the season. There is plenty of room in the boat for you, but be prepared that you, too, may wake up one day in Orlando!

We will do 3 to 4 festivals a year and it is never mandatory to go to a practice or any of the races. Our mission is simple: “Have fun” – and we do.

Hope to see you this coming season!

If you are interested, contact Jason Eyers at (416) 522-9445 or jasoneyers55@hotmail. com

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Fire Fighters Helping Burn Victims Beyond the Fire Scene

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wo state-of-the-art monitoring devices will soon arrive at Sunnybrook’s Ross Tilley Burn Centre, thanks to a holiday gift on December 19, 2012, from members of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (TPFFA).

One of the Burn Centre’s most generous supporters, the TPFFA has donated more than $600,000 to Sunnybrook over the last several years. This time, a $40,000 gift from the Association will be used to purchase two novel machines called the pulse contour cardiac output (PiCCO), which measures crucial data regarding heart rate, heart function and vascular status via a non-invasive method (thermo dilution) by injecting cold saline.

“It helps to monitor patient status more effectively,” says Dr. Marc Jeschke, medical director of the Ross Tilley Burn Centre.

“It’s like flying an airplane. Flying successfully and safely means knowing the data and what’s going on around you. The PiCCO enables such information flow.”

Dr. Jeschke credited community support for helping to deliver comprehensive care at the Burn Centre, which has seen the

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number of patients it treats annually rise to about 250 from 150.

“None of this would have been possible without donor support,” Dr. Jeschke says. “We are very grateful for the fire fighters’ support.”

For Ed Kennedy, president of the TPFFA, giving to Sunnybrook is all about helping people recover from fire injuries – often people the fire fighters have aided at fire scenes.

“As fire fighters, we see the devastation that fire causes and we want to help mitigate that as much as possible,” he says. “It’s a long journey for people who have been injured by fire and we want to help not just at the scene – but also at the hospital.”

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TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’

8TH ANNUAL TRIVIA CHALLENGE

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n Monday, November 26, Local 3888 hosted our annual Media Trivia Night with over 250 people in attendance. The event was renamed this year in honour of Toronto Star Sports writer Randy Starkman.

Randy was one of Canada’s most revered and respected journalists who had also been a participant in the event since its inception in 2002. Randy passed suddenly and tragically this past year. His daughter, Ella, was on hand to present The Starkman Cup to the winning team from CBC Radio. She also captained her Toronto Star team to a very respectable third place finish.

The evening shows what can be accomplished when a community comes together and puts aside all issues of profit and personal gain.

The festivities began with a touching slideshow tribute to Randy Starkman, with an accompanying live musical performance by Toronto Fire Fighter Rob Fitzgerald.

SteamWhistle Brewery donated the venue once again, their beautiful Roundhouse; Diamond Estates Winery donated all of the wine that was sold and presented as prizes; Pandor Audio Video donated their services for all the technical demands; Manual Labour Coffee provided an amazing barista service of delicious coffees for everyone; Executive Rentals provided all of the rental equipment at a fraction of the normal cost.

The generosity of our friends and our sponsors exceeded our hopes and expectations. Daily Bread Food Bank’s catering department served the gourmet buffet dinner and the food was plentiful and excellent. It was the perfect accompaniment to a good bottle of beer or a fine glass of wine.

And not enough can be said about the Toronto Fire Fighters who came out to volunteer their help with scorekeeping, greeting and set up. Particularly worth mentioning are the brave firemen who actually participated in the event. From

our Union Executive to the West End Boys; all in all, several dozen firemen, who could only have come out for the good food and cold beer…as winning was not an option.

The real competition is a running grudge match between The Globe and Mail (two teams) The Toronto Star (four teams) CBC Radio, CBC Television, Ryerson School of Journalism and Massey School Graduate Journalism Program. The desire to win amongst them is both fierce and palpable.

Our very own James Coones manages all of the scoring and technical computer stuff and without him, we would be lost. CBC Radio Host Kevin Sylvester is the Master of Ceremonies and conducted himself with wit and decorum – most of the time.

And finally, Daily Bread Food Bank made the whole evening happen. Erica Franklin and Mina Cicconi were the secret force behind it all and as a result, were responsible for the evening raising $10,000.00; a record for this event.

This year’s winning team was “Canada Lives Here” from the CBC, followed by “Ford WinStars” from the Toronto Star, and in Third place were the “J-Skool Fools”, tied with “Lannister” (also from The Star).

The winning team will be treated to a gourmet firehall dinner at a date and location to be determined.

Once again, thank you to all of our volunteers, sponsors and participants. We were at near capacity for the venue, so teams wishing to compete next year should register early through Daily Bread Food Bank.

And to those teams who dream of drinking a cold Steam Whistle Pilsner from The Starkman Cup…start studying now for next year’s event!

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Occupational Disease

BY PAUL ATKINSON, CO-CHAIR, OPFFA OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE COMMITTEE

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here are many well-known hazards attributed to the occupation of fire fighting.

Medical issues such as the onset of cancer, heart disease and SARS can be linked to our exposure to deadly chemicals and toxins. Our Association has been a leader in the submission of claims to demonstrate a relationship between the exposures and the resulting illnesses for our members. This process unfortunately never ends and each day more of our members develop illnesses.

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Some illnesses are currently covered, while some cancers and diseases do not fall under the list of presumed illnesses associated with fire fighting exposures.

Some illnesses are currently covered, while some cancers and diseases do not fall under the list of presumed illnesses associated with fire fighting exposures.

The process of any claim submitted to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is never an easy one. This is very true when we have a member who develops a life-altering illness. It is

a very sad day when a member reaches out for help with an aggressive cancer or a near death cardiac event. The Local will do, needless to say, whatever can be done with respect to advocating a WSIB claim, advancing a long-term disability claim or providing support as is necessary. However, effort alone does not guarantee an approved WSIB claim.

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The recognition that an illness may be related to a work exposure is always a consideration when processing a WSIB claim. The Association takes the position that we will file all illnesses that are reported to us as a WSIB claim. The reason for this is primarily that we are not adjudicators; we, as an Association, do not determine whether a claim is, or is not, work-related. That job belongs to the WSIB, but the Local remains very much in the advocacy role to try and obtain an approved claim on behalf of the member. Additionally, by placing claims into the WSIB, we may end up demonstrating a relationship over time with an unexpected high number of claims for an illness or cancer.

As an example of this type of perseverance, the Association has filed a number of testicular cancer claims.

We have advocated within the WSIB to senior advisors, advanced the supportive research documents and have always discussed the testicular issue, whenever we had the opportunity. The efforts have finally paid off, in that testicular cancer will be accepted for fire fighters with over twenty years of service. As an additional feature, the Association has had direct input into the adjudication process for claims that fall under the twenty-year mark. While these files are just starting into the review process, we remain cautiously optimistic that the process will work in the favor of the fire fighter.

Another very important recent development involves cardiac disease and

Not all illnesses are related to the occupational exposures as a fire fighter, but the Association will do everything that can be done to make sure that these illnesses are fully explored for a work relationship. fire fighting exposures. As the Association announced in Union Notice #12-055, a Tribunal decision accepted fire fighting exposures as a risk factor for coronary artery disease. For our members, this is a huge step forward in the advancement of benefits and ultimately leads into better screening for illness. The Association has long advocated for members to be proactive about their health, including cardiac screening. We are currently working with WSIB to determine how they intend to respond to this very important development.

When the Association deals with a member who has a cancer that is not covered under the presumptive legislation, all efforts are made to find a way to get the claim approved. We have had success in the not too distant past, where a member’s cancer was recognized as a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and therefore covered under the presumption. In other files, the Association has had to proceed to appeals and Tribunals. Currently, it is projected that four or five files will be taken to the appeal system, as the members’ specific cancer is not covered. The Association feels strongly that the cardiac Tribunal decision is a positive sign that our cancer appeals will be seen in a positive light.

Additionally, the Association has the resources of the IAFF in order to provide research documents and file reviews of each of the claims.

For members that have a cancer or heart attack covered under the presumption, once again, the Association will provide as much assistance as is required. For these members, the Association provides a range of services and resources to ensure that our members are fully informed, to help them make critical decisions, as they and their families deal with the difficult circumstances associated with these illnesses.

Not all illnesses are related to the occupational exposures as a fire fighter, but the Association will do everything that can be done to make sure that these illnesses are fully explored for a work relationship. It was not too many years ago that there was no entitlement for a fire fighter who had cancer or suffered a heart attack. Since 1997, many cancers, neurological disease, cardiac events, cardiac disease and post-traumatic stress are now associated as an occupational risk. The efforts that began so long ago have paid dividends for many of our members, but the Association recognizes that there is still a large amount of work yet to be completed.

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In Memoriam LODD NAME Richard Eldon Randy Burch

RANK Firefighter Firefighter

DATE OF PASSING May 21, 2012 November 12, 2012

Active Members NAME Wayne Boden Peter Czulinski Ian Robertson

RANK Public Educator Acting Captain Marine Engineer

DATE OF PASSING February 8, 2012 May 3, 2012 November 13, 2012

RANK Captain District Chief District Chief Firefighter Firefighter Firefighter District Chief Captain Acting District Chief Firefighter Captain Captain Captain Deputy Chief Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain District Chief Acting Captain Firefighter Captain Firefighter Director Fire Prevention District Chief Captain Chief of Mechanical District Chief Captain Firefighter Deputy Chief Fire Chief Captain Firefighter Captain Captain Firefighter Firefighter

DATE OF PASSING January 2, 2012 January 4, 2012 January 27, 2012 January 30, 2012 February 2, 2012 February 2, 2012 March 4, 2012 March 12, 2012 March 18, 2012 March 19, 2012 March 24, 2012 March 31, 2012 March 31, 2012 April 11, 2012 April 19, 2012 April 20, 2012 April 22, 2012 May 15, 2012 May 22, 2012 July 27, 2012 July 27, 2012 August 4, 2012 August 5, 2012 August 9, 2012 October 5, 2012 October 13, 2012 October 16, 2012 October 17, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012 November 6, 2012 November 10, 2012 November 17, 2012 November 20, 2012 November 23, 2012 December 2, 2012 December 11, 2012 December 20, 2012 December 21, 2012

Retired NAME Ronald Chapman Clarence “Elton� Stoll Earl Donald Huras Peter Welch Doug Herron Orval Davidson Robert Edwards Charles Marshall John Langcaster Clifford Patterson Charles Cann George Starr Richard White George Pollitt Walter Burnett Fred Cormier John Addison Douglas Lynn Earl Crawford Dennis Bowles Frank Wynn Jack Cameron John Walker John Crawford George Willey Harry Smith Alvin Scattergood Wesley Massey Charles Shinners Robert Robinson Robert McNair Thomas Craig Bruce Parker Doug Patterson Robert Barton John Semple Les Wills Donald Cunningham Raymond Todd

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FORMER LOCAL Toronto, 113 Etobicoke, 1137 Etobicoke, 1137 Toronto, 113 North York, 752 Toronto, 113 Toronto, 113 Toronto, 113 Toronto, 3888 Toronto, 113 Toronto. 113 Toronto, 113 Toronto, 3888 North York, 752 East York, 418 Etobicoke, 1137 Toronto, 113 Toronto, 113 North York, 752 Toronto,3888 Toronto, 113 Etobicoke, 1137 Toronto, 113 Toronto,113 Toronto,113 Toronto,113 North York, 752 North York, 752 Toronto,113 North York, 752 Toronto, 113 Scarborough, 626 York, 411 Etobicoke, 1137 Toronto,113 Toronto,113 Toronto,113 Scarborough, 626 Scarborough, 626

Fire Fighter Joseph McCabe April 13, 1948

Joseph McCabe, a former member of the Canadian Navy with a splendid war record during his service, was scheduled to work Easter weekend and spent part of his Good Friday (April 9th) attending a stubborn working fire at a salvage company on Eastern Avenue. The 32-year-old fire fighter, who had served seven years with the Toronto Fire Department at that point, had worked hard at the fire, possibly even over-exerting himself some would later hypothesize.

Joseph worked the night shift on Monday, April 12th and had changed into his ‘walking out uniform’ before coming down to the ground floor of the Dundas Street East firehall. Almost immediately after reaching the ground floor, Joseph collapsed. Fire fighters,

who were on duty, immediately began artificial respirations while awaiting an inhalator to arrive from the Adelaide Street firehall.

Captain Percy Stewart and Fire Fighter Howard Willett rushed an inhalator to the scene from department headquarters, worked on Joseph for over twenty minutes in the Dundas Street firehall, as well as in the ambulance that took him to St. Michael’s Hospital.

Fire Fighter McCabe, a father of four children, one of whom was born only three days prior, was pronounced dead at St. Michael’s Hospital. Doctors advised relatives not to inform Mrs. McCabe of her husband’s death until she had regained her strength following the birth of the baby.

Captain Charles Kirkaldy September 2, 1952

Charles A. Kirkaldy began his career with the Toronto Fire Department on January 21, 1919. Like most fire fighters from that era, Charles had attended his fair share of fires, both large and small, and he had experienced numerous ‘close calls’ while working at incidents.

One such incident occurred in April of 1943, while fighting a basement fire. He was working out of the Cowan Avenue firehall at the time and was walking across a scantling in the house when it splintered and he fell head first to the floor, ten feet below. He suffered severe head injuries, cuts to his head and hands, as well as a shoulder injury. Charles would make a full recovery, however, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on December 1, 1944.

In December of 1945, while fighting a massive fire that swept through a block of buildings at Richmond Street and Victoria Street, Captain

Kirkaldy would have another close encounter as he and his crew were walking through smoke on the third floor. One of his crew opened a door and just as they were about to step through, it was discovered that this was, in fact, an elevator shaft.

On September 2, 1952, while fighting a large fire in a furniture store at 1133 St. Clair Avenue West, Charles Kirkaldy, Captain of Pumper 25, began to feel ill and collapsed. Oxygen was administered at the scene of the fire and he was able to return to the station on his own while fire fighting operations continued. As the apparatus returned to the firehall, they found Captain Kirkaldy collapsed and VSA outside of his office, due to a massive heart attack.

Captain Charles A. Kirkaldy rests in Westminster Memorial Gardens.

Rest in Peace

Ian Robertson

June 2, 1962 - November 13, 2012

John Semple

December 30, 1944 - December 2, 2012

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

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Fit to SURVIVE

The fire fighter’s guide to health and nutrition

Keep Your Resolutions Relax more

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ou would think people would take any chance they get to relax. But many people feel that they don’t relax enough – “relax more” is a popular New Year’s resolution. How many times have you found yourself wishing that you

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took more time to “smell the flowers” and less time on the go-go-go? And yet the problem with deciding to be less busy is that, well, we all have too many things to do. And then, when we do have time to relax, we tend to collapse in front of the TV. And somehow, even if we use up a whole evening watching TV, we still don’t feel like we get enough relaxation.

This is at least in part because relaxation is not just “not doing anything.” It’s a state of bodily relief, of reduced tension, and of calmness. You will be able to relax better if you’re healthier – which includes eating right and exercising. Far from being the opposite of relaxation, exercise is an important key to it. So, in fact, “vegging out” in front of the TV with pop and chips is not really the best

You will be able to relax better if you’re healthier – which includes eating right and exercising. way to relax at all – especially not if it’s the only thing you do to relax. If you want to relax more, the first steps you should take are to eat right and exercise more – see the corresponding sections in this health feature.

There are several other things you can do to increase the benefit you get from relaxation. Here are some suggestions:

You can focus and calm the mind, and you will also gain a sense of accomplishment.

• Find an absorbing hobby – many people relax best when they’re in their workshop or out taking photos, drawing or sewing. You can focus and calm the mind, and you will also gain a sense of accomplishment.

• Help other people – for example, volunteer at a charity. You will see more of life – and more interesting parts of it – than you will by watching TV. You will feel satisfied with your use of time, and you will have gotten your mind off of your own concerns.

• Perform deep breathing exercises whenever you have the opportunity – on the bus, for instance, or even when waiting in lineups or walking. There are a variety of techniques. The most basic is simply to breathe in to a count of four and out to a count of six, and then increase the counts as you go on. You will get the most benefit, of course, from taking some time every day to sit in a quiet space, focusing on your breathing or on a word or image.

• Do yoga – even if you just learn a few basic positions and moves and do them for a few minutes every morning, your body will be better equipped to encounter the day more calmly.

The more you do things that actively release stress and tension, the less you will feel a need to “veg out” – and the less you may want to try to take shortcuts to relaxation with the aid of alcohol or tobacco.

Part of the problem for many people is that they think of relaxation as “filler”, something of no actual importance – an absence of activity. But relaxation is very important. People work long, hard hours just so they can afford to relax later on – and then they don’t get around to it.

Schedule some time to relax. Give it a priority on your list of things to do, and don’t let other things bump it out of place.

Remember: it’s not “doing nothing”. It’s recharging your batteries!

Applesauce Brownies

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

· Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13” pan with nonfat cooking spray. · Prepare brownie mix using the ingredients listed, instead of the recipe on the box.

Combine all ingredients; mix by hand until blended. · Bake for 24-26 minutes or until set. Cool and serve.

1 Package Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Water 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

SERVING SUGGESTION Serving Size: 1 brownie Number of Servings: 20 NUTRITION FACTS Calories 140 Total Fat 5 g Saturated Fat N/A Sodium 95 mg Total Carbohydrates 24 g Fiber 1 g Protein 29 g

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2013 TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION 2013

HOLIDAYS

RED: A WORKING

GREY: B WORKING

BLUE: C WORKING

YELLOW: D WORKING

Jan. 1

New Year’s Day

May 12

Mother’s Day

Oct. 31

Halloween

Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day

May 20

Victoria Day

Nov. 11

Remembrance Day

Feb. 18

Family Day

Jun. 16

Father’s Day

Dec. 23 - Jan. 3 School Christmas Break

Mar. 11-15

School March Break

Jul. 1

Canada Day

Dec. 25

Christmas Day

Mar. 17

St. Patrick’s Day

Aug. 5

Civic Holiday

Dec. 26

Boxing Day

Mar. 29

Good Friday

Sep. 2

Labour Day

Apr. 1

Easter Monday

Oct. 14

Thanksgiving Day

*Red-Contractual Statutory Holidays

Please also find 4 wallet shift cards enclosed in the polybag in which Fire Watch was mailed.

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Letter from the Editor…

A

nother year has passed for Toronto Fire Fighters, and what a year it’s been! This year has seen the introduction of many things: Welcoming a new Fire Chief, leather boots, new recruits and potential budget reductions. Your Peer Support Team has also been in the face of change, with a new team make-up, new applicants, a continuous flow of incoming calls, as well as other teams wanting to learn about our team’s experiences and how we function.

This year has also been a year of unfortunate calls with Danzig Street, The Eaton Centre and Elliot Lake – certainly enough to create some type of trauma in peoples’ lives. In our own “house”, many deaths – a few as a result of suicide, several others struck with cancer. If you think you are immune, think again. So many of you have gained the courage to make a call to your Peer Team, greatly affected by issues and for various reasons: nearing the end of your career, family dynamics and experiences. These situations and others like them will always be in our midst. The important thing is to learn how to best cope with the way we react to news or anything which occurs in our daily lives, in order to work through our challenges.

In early November, three of the four Peer Support Co-ordinators, along with Chaplain Riley, met with Fire Chief Sales to gain his support for our objectives, goals and initiatives. Without reservation, Chief Sales provided the Team with the go ahead to continue to support and respond to Toronto Fire Services staff.

One of our initiatives, the Peer Survey, posted in FCC 12-226, is a feedback tool to aid the Peer Support Team as we begin the year 2013. Nearly 200 TFS staff openly provided comments in the first three days that the survey was posted – an outstanding response – many thanks to each of you who, to date, took the time to provide such excellent feedback. Once the survey closes, the results will be compiled and publicized in a future edition of “Behind the Mask” in an issue of Fire Watch. For those of you who have yet to respond, I encourage you to do so during your next shift.

Approximately ten minutes of your time is all that is required.

As you may already know, the Mandatory Health & Wellness Training

“I believe stepping out of our comfort zone can only take us closer to doing better, being better and living better.” has been removed from the 2013 Mandatory Training schedule, for which The Peer Support Team provided education on Critical Incident Stress. As an alternative, another initiative that the Peer Support Team will re-visit in 2013, will be online education via Coursemill. The aim will be to provide staff with information on various topics, such as: what to keep in mind when attending a call; how to cope; what to look out for and how to recognize something which might be affecting you. If we are able to recognize what makes us react, we can then be alerted and initiate a workable coping mechanism.

In our role as Peer Support members, it is our intention, as much as possible, to provide education and awareness. Another initiative will be to introduce ourselves or simply say, “Hello,” through station visits.

I continuously admire the courage people have during times of W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 45

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duress. It most certainly is not easy to pick up the phone to make a call, be it as a result of embarrassment, lack of confidence, confidentiality, shame or even confusion. I am so impressed and encouraged by the number of people who do call and I am so glad after the initial call that they did. I have heard countless times on the other end of my phone, “I am so glad I made this call.” I believe stepping out of our comfort zone can only take us closer to doing better, being better and living better.

Approximately 150 staff attended the Health & Wellness Seminar at the Toronto Fire Academy, where several presentations were delivered relating to various areas of health. One of them had to do with mental health (from the neck up), which is often the one forgotten – the silent one. It’s important to take care of ourselves physically, in order to maintain our energy and wellbeing, reduce injury and live well and strong through this lengthy career. Our Mental Health is equally important. Something you may consider is a check up from the neck up.

We do fairly well at taking care of others; however, if we do not take care of ourselves, no one will do it for us. Be good to yourself. Remember, you are worth it! Let’s make 2013 the year to live better!

Lynn

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TORONTO FIRE SERVICES EAP/CIS NEWSLETTER - WINTER EDITION 2012

3888 RECENT HAPPENINGS

Crew members from Station 113-B model their IAFF Charitable Foundation touques in support of Hurricane Sandy victims.

old Frank Ramagnano and Har 8’s 388 al Loc off show Schaitberger tical Poli the at gn desi irt T-sh Pink on Training Academy in Ottawa 2.

201 November 12,

ide of the TPFFA Office on “Take

bers gather outs Grade 9 students of Local 3888 mem on November 7, 2012.

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Our Kids to Work Day”

W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 48

Local 3888 members participate

in the East York Remembrance Day

Toronto Fire Fighters pose with the Grey Cup on November 19, 2012 at the re-c reation of the classic 1950 ‘Mud Bowl’ game.

Santa Claus and Toronto Fire Figh ters pose with the Labour and Delivery nurses at St. Mike’s Hospital on Christmas Day.

Parade on Sunday, November 11,

2012.

Toronto Fire Fighters pose at the launch of the Toronto Fire Fighters Toy Drive at the Shops at Don Mills on November 29, 2012.

The class of February 1987 while attending their 25th year medal investiture ceremony at the Grand Bacchus Banquet Hall on January 24, 2013.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 | F I R E WAT CH 49

EVENT OPFFA Health and Safety Conference SOFFHL Tournament 3888 General Union Meeting

LOCATION Toronto, Ontario Etobicoke, Ontario RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

February 26 to March 1, 2013 Monday, March 25, 2013 (0930 hrs) Tuesday, March 26, 2013 (1830 hrs) April 7 to 11, 2013

3888 General Union Meeting

RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

OPFFA Spring Seminar

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Friday, April 12, 2013

TPFFA Gala/Awards Luncheon

Toronto, Ontario

April 21 to 24, 2013

IAFF Legislative Conference

Ottawa, Ontario

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*DATE/TIME February 4 to 7, 2013

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