Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation to Pay Tribute to Nine Firefighters Who Died in Line of Duty

For Immediate Release

August 16 , 2010

Ottawa, Ontario --  Nine Canadian firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty will be honoured at the Canadian Firefighters Annual Memorial Ceremony this fall.
The list includes pilot Robert Woodhead, from Stoney Creek, Ontario, who drowned in the Fraser River in 2009 after his helicopter crashed while fighting forest fires in British Columbia.
The Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation (CFFF) will pay tribute to these firefighters in the ceremony which takes place on September 12, 2010 at 11 a.m. on Parliament Hill. This year’s list includes firefighters who died on the job as well as those who succumbed to work-related illnesses.

The honourees include: Fire Prevention Officer George Randolph Musgrave, 47, (Vancouver, BC); Corporal Gerald Patrick Hagan, 44, (DND, CFB Edmonton); Richard Gietz, 63, (Ottawa, Ontario); Training Officer Paul Jackson, 56, (King City, ON); Captain Patrick L. Glendinning, 57, (Surrey, BC); Firefighter Philip Strang, 64, (Keswick Valley, NB); Pilot Robert Christopher Woodhead, 53, (Stoney Creek, ON); Station Chief Robert W. Thibert, 54, (Chatham-Kent, ON); and CFPO Rex Ernest Heath, 61, (Pickering, ON).

“These brave firefighters gave their lives in service to their country,” said Captain Robert Kirkpatrick, a Mississauga-based firefighter and President of the CFFF. “It is a stark reminder that firefighting continues to be a hazardous profession.”

Each year, hundreds of firefighters from across Canada come to the ceremony to pay tribute to their fallen comrades. The CFFF provides transportation subsidies and accommodations for members of their families to attend the annual event where they will receive the commemorative helmet and the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Medallion on behalf of the entire Canadian Fire Service.

The Calgary Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Bruce Burrell, will serve as the honourary host for this year’s ceremony. The Calgary Fire Department is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Monument Design Unveiled
The CFFF will also reveal the winning design for the Canadian Firefighters Memorial during the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend. Last year, Heritage Canada announced a $2.5 million contribution for the monument which will be constructed on a site across from the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa. The monument will be officially dedicated to the over 1000 firefighters including those whose line of duty deaths are remembered at the ceremony in 2010.

The CFFF, which has raised an additional $1.2 million, continues to fundraise to complete the memorial.

The Aim of the CFFF
The aim of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation is to honour all firefighters and it is all-inclusive. The CFFF pays tribute to firefighters who are volunteer/part-time, paid/full-time, industrial, military, urban, rural, wildland, Aboriginal, airport and marine. The Foundation’s directors include members from all areas of the Canadian Fire Service as well as representatives from the business community who volunteer their time for its operation.
The public is welcome to attend the ceremony and support the fallen firefighters’ families, as well as donate to the construction of the national monument.

For more information, please visit the Foundation website at www.cfff.ca.

Media Contact:
Rose Simpson, Hannabelle Media
Telephone: 613-737-6608
Cell: 613-601-6608
Email: simpson3205@rogers.com

Backgrounder
The number of firefighters who have died in the line of duty in Canada now stands at more than 1000. The list includes: 441 from Ontario; 222 from Quebec; 125  from British Columbia; 66 from Manitoba; 63 from Alberta; 37 from Nova Scotia; 32 from New Brunswick; 12 from Saskatchewan; seven from Newfoundland; four from PEI; three  from the Northwest Territories; and two from the Yukon. (For a complete list of fallen firefighters, by name, date and province, please visit the CFFF website at www.cfff.ca)

List of The Fallen 2010

Name: Firefighter George Randolph Musgrave
Department: Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services
Status: Full-time Firefighter
Date of Death: October 17, 2005
Cause of Death: Work related illness

Name: Corporal Gerald Patrick Hagan
Department: DND Fire Service, CFB Edmonton
Status:  Military Firefighter
Date of Death: August 18, 2006
Cause of Death: Work related illness

Name: Lieutenant Richard Gietz
Department: Ottawa Fire Services
Status: Volunteer Firefighter
Date of Death: December 29, 2007
Cause of Death: Work related illness

Name: Firefighter Paul Jackson
Department: King Fire & Emergency Services
Status: Volunteer Firefighter
Date of Death: June 9, 2008
Cause of Death: Heart attack returning from a response

Name: Captain Patrick Glendinning
Department: Surrey Fire Service
Status: Full-time Firefighter
Date of Death: November 14, 2008
Cause of Death: Work related illness

Name: Firefighter Philip Strang
Department: Keswick Valley Fire Department
Status: Volunteer Firefighter
Date of Death: May 14, 2009
Cause of Death: Heart attack at scene of a response

Name:  Pilot Robert Christopher Woodhead, Stoney Creek, ON
Department: BC Forest Service (Elbow River Helicopters)
Status: Wildland Pilot
Date of Death: August 14, 2009
Cause of Death: Helicopter crash into the Fraser River while fighting a wildland fire near Lillooet, BC

Name: Station Chief Robert W. Thibert
Department: Chatham-Kent Fire & Emergency Services
Status: Volunteer Firefighter
Date of Death: December 3, 2009
Cause of Death: Heart attack while managing a response

Name:  Chief Fire Prevention Officer Rex Heath
Department:  Pickering Fire Service
Status: Volunteer Firefighter
Date of Death: December 26, 2009
Cause of Death: Work related illness

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