Help for Firefighters Without Borders Canada

Firefighters load donated items on the bed of a pickup truck

Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services recently donated hundreds of items of used firefighting equipment to Firefighters Without Borders Canada. - Municipality of Port Hope photo

Port Hopers have stepped up to help out Firefighters Without Borders Canada.

Toward end of May, members of Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services (PHFES) met with Carl Eggiman, the Ontario representative for Firefighters Without Borders Canada, at Fire Station 2 in Welcome. At the time, PHFES donated hundreds of items of used firefighting equipment to the organization, which provides firefighting equipment to departments in need around the world.

"We are so pleased to extend the life of this essential fire response equipment," said Fire Chief Jeff Ogden. "We are honoured to support this organization and provide other fire departments with this important, life-saving equipment."

The donation consisted of roughly 25 self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA), 50 SCBA bottles, hose fittings, radios, uniforms, lights, confined space rescue equipment and various personal protective equipment (PPE) like bunker gear, coveralls and hoods. The gear was then delivered to the Firefighters Without Borders Canada warehouse in Belleville, where it was set to be packed with other donations and shipped by transport to western Canada.

The equipment will be used to aid Firefighters Without Borders’ current project in support of First Nations’ communities in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan as they work to suppress the wild land fires throughout their provinces, explained officials.

"On behalf of council, I want to thank our fire chief and Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services for stepping up to support this worthy cause," said Mayor Olena Hankivsky. "The devastation of the fires in Western Canada is a concern for all Canadians, and I am so pleased that we can do our part to contribute to the aid efforts with the resources we have available."

According to a recent release, since 2010, Firefighters Without Borders Canada has been providing training and equipment donations to communities locally, throughout Canada, and in countries around the world.