The Seashore Volunteer Fire Dept. has taken ownership of a new-to-them pumper truck, thanks to nearly a decade of fundraising efforts and community support. Chief Gary Mansfield said the Hubbards District Volunteer Fire Department delivered the 2003 International Pumper on Sept. 14, adding that they also donated 20 sets of in-date bunker gear – “$10,000 worth of pants and coats.”

The Ontario government is investing over $746,000 to help the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA) deliver survival training to firefighters across the province. This investment through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Training Stream will help ensure Ontario’s frontline heroes are equipped with the skills and tools they need to keep communities, and themselves, safe.

The Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office is partnering with a charity to help provide mental health support services to the volunteer and municipal firefighters, and their families, in the Yukon. Matthew Pegg, speaking on behalf of Wounded Warriors Canada, announced the partnership on Aug. 21 as part of the Fire Rescue Yukon symposium taking place in Whitehorse.

When Angie Atkins walked into the Gananoque fire station recently, she arrived not as a patient but as a survivor offering thanks. Atkins, whose life was saved after suffering a cardiac arrest, presented life-saving awards to Deputy Fire Chief Andrew Kent, Capt. Kevin Conway, CSO Dillon Champagne and firefighter Alan Smith.

The minister of natural resources says the "whole machinery of government" kicked in to help as the province has whittled its count of wildfires from 39 to a handful. The province was fighting two out-of-control wildfires on Wednesday, according to provincial statistics. That includes the Beaver Lake Stream fire about 60 kilometres west of Renous, which has been holding at 456 hectares, and a 0.1 ha fire southwest of Bathurst spotted Wednesday morning.