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James Collier believes he and Rita Fudge were the first residents to evacuate when the wildfires were approaching Fort McMurray.
“When that fire hit the valley [across the river] I called Rita and told her it was time to get out,” said James. Soon after that call, he was home. They quickly hitched their camper to their truck and headed south. Leaving early, they avoided the mad rush that ensued when the mandatory evacuation order was issued and thousands of people raced to get out of town.

The Canadian Red Cross' Emergency Response Unit (ERU) provides emergency medial and surgical care during disasters and emergencies around the world. Training for the ERU involves is extensive and intense,  and  includes an immersive simulated disaster training scenerio. This year, members of other national Red Cross societies joined the ERU training to help strengthen the capacity for their countries' disaster prepardness.

In 2009, the Red Cross was there for Jillian Mullowney. Now a disaster management volunteer, Jillian shares her inspiration for working with the Red Cross, her experience helping support those impacted by the Alberta fires, and the day everything came full circle. 

Every year, over 500 Canadians die in drowning-related incidents. Of these, over 90 per cent are men. Statistics, however, often mask the individual losses though and the enormous impact a drowning death can have on an entire family. Danika Crossman, boating safety program coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross, knows this loss first hand. In 2009, her uncle drowned while he was boating with his wife on Lake Okanagan in Kelowna, B.C. He was 41.

My happiest childhood memories are of times spent at the family cottage, floating on an inner tube, lounging in a lakeside hammock, and learning how to paddle a canoe. I grew up loving water and feeling safe and confident around water. That’s because my parents did a great job of balancing out two important messages. They taught me that being around water can be incredibly fun, but that you have to be alert to the dangers at the same time.

When the fire began to threaten Fort McMurray at the beginning of May, Allan MacDonald said he was sent home early from work, with just enough time to grab the necessities: his furry friend Winky, an extra pair of clothes, and a bag of dog food.. 

Grabbing her wallet, phone, jacket, and just a few things she could stuff into a small backpack, Cathy Lu had very little time to meet the demands of the mandatory evacuation order that came just a month ago. Showers of ash were descending on her street and wildfires had already begun to engulf some areas of Fort McMurray, Alberta, as Cathy and her roommate quickly drove from their neighborhood.

The last few weeks have been busy ones for Cindy Baillargeon, a Red Cross volunteer from the Lanaudière region of Quebec: she spent them in Alberta, helping out Fort McMurray evacuees. When she saw images of the wildfires on the news, she knew that the Red Cross was bound to be involved. It wasn’t long before the call for volunteers came through, and she accepted without a second thought.