Since the start of this year’s wildfires season in British Columbia in mid-June, more than 1,600 wildfires were recorded in the province, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes throughout the province. The Canadian Red Cross sent close to 200 employees and volunteers from across the country to help support individuals, families and communities affected by the wildfires.
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Sharla Kojima is a safety and wellbeing responder on deployment with the Canadian Red Cross in Manitoba working with First Nation members evacuated to Winnipeg because of air quality concerns due to wildfires. Her help has been very appreciated by those impacted, as shown in this comment card.
In late June, a plane full of firefighters touched down in Sudbury to help protect communities in Northern Ontario. Shortly after the team stepped off the aircraft, the Canadian Red Cross immediately set to work, ensuring their task would not be more difficult than usual.
Emergency Response Volunteers, like Herica in Newfoundland, play a big part in coordinating access to food, shelter, clothing, comfort and emotional support to Canadians affected by emergencies and disasters.
Red Cross volunteer Jack McCaskill helped respond to the wildfires in British Columbia in 2017. Here, he shares his experiences as a front line volunteer, and how volunteering has developed his skillset.
Disasters affect people in different ways, but it is clear that hope, gratitude and determination prevail in stories of the devastating 2016 wildfires in Fort McMurray and the surrounding region. There are many stories of people helping people in the region, but the five following stories showcase the power of humanity at its best.
After nearly losing her life in a fire and helplessly looking on as a man died of a heart attack, Chantale Bilodeau began volunteering with the Red Cross. Chantale has spent the last 12 years working for the organization she cares so deeply about and is now sharing her remarkable story.
Home fires can happen anytime and anywhere but are most likely to occur during winter in Canada. According to the Commissariat aux incendies de la Ville de Québec, 4 in 10 fatal home fires occur between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., when the household is asleep.