fire watch (fall 2007)

VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 3 | FALL 2007

FIREHALL SHOWCASE: Fire Station 315

Publications Agreement No: 41203011

YOUR PENSION OPTIONS

Captain John A. Chappelle1954 - 2007

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3FALL 2007 | F IRE WATCH

48

46

3

5 President’s Message

9 Secretary Treasurer’s Message

11 Vice President’s Message

13 Chaplain’s Corner

14 Letters to the Editor

16 Member Profi le on Ed Werenich

18 History of the IAFF

20 Firehall Showcase—Station 315

22 How Sleep Works

24 The Provincial Election

26 Electoral Reform

28 Captain John A. Chappelle

30 Tony Stacey Centre for Veteran’s Care

32 Kilimanjaro Climb for Camp Bucko

36 Collective Agreement

38 Your Pension Options

42 Your Job as a Fire Fighter

44 Laying the TFS Wreath at Vimy

46 3888 Recent Happenings

48 Local 3888 Picnic

50 2008 Shift Calendar

51 Fit to Survive

52 Upcoming Events

53 Never Shall We Forget

54 Ad Index

V O L U M E 3 | I S S U E 3 | FA L L 2 0 0 7

IN THIS ISSUE

FIRE WATCH (ISSN 1715-5134) is published quarterly by the TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION39 Commissioners Street, Toronto, ON Canada M5A 1A6 Tel: 416.466.1167www.torontofi refi ghters.orgE-mail: fi rewatch@torontofi refi ghters.org

FIRE WATCH is published quarterly by Xentel DM Incorporated on behalf of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

CHIEF EDITOR Scott Marks

MANAGING EDITORS Frank Ramagnano & James CoonesTel.: 416.466.1167 Fax: 416.466.6632E-mail: fi rewatch@torontofi refi ghters.org

ASSISTANT EDITORS Rayanne Dubkov, Marla Friebe, Rodney Johnston, Seonaid Lennox, Neil McKinnon

ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS Alyssa Petrillo & Marcel Ramagnano

DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Xentel DM Incorporated

FIRE WATCH PHOTOGRAPHER Keith Hamilton

CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL Agreement No: 41203011

PRINTED IN CANADA Copyright © 2007 Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

ADVERTISING Latoya Davis, Project ManagerTel: 416.646.3128 Ext. 104 Fax: 416.646.3135 Email: [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher. FIRE WATCH is an offi cial communication tool of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association. The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (TPFFA) does not assume responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by any contributor. Comments made by individuals may not refl ect the offi cial position of the TPFFA. Acceptance and publication of articles, advertisements, products and services does not indicate endorsement of same by the TPFFA, and the TPFFA assumes no responsibility for their accuracy.

Merchant Card Acceptance

18 28

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Captain John A. Chappelle1954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 2007

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION

32

On The CoverPhoto by Keith Hamilton

Full article on page 28

IN SUPPORT OF

GIVINGGALA

If one little boy canchange the world...

Imagine whatyou can do.

THANK YOU to the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters'

Association for helping to make the 2006 Jacob's Ladder

Giving Gala our most successful event to date!

J cob s LadderJ L rc ao db d's eTHE CANADIAN FOUNDATION FOR CONTROL OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE

The Giving Gala is an opportunity for children to discover the

power and magic of giving...

Last year, kids starred in their own music videos, delivered

newscasts about the power of giving, were entertained by

some of the best children's entertainers around, had the

opportunity to meet celebrities like Darcy Tucker, Shane

Corson, Canadian Idols and Sugababee, and had fun with the

Toronto Zoo, Children's Technology Workshop, The Toronto

Blue Jays, Mad Science, Sony Playstation 2, the Scotiabank

Money Machine, Hockey Slapshot, Bulldog Interactive

Fitness, Spin Master Zone, Barbie's Dress-Up Tea Party,

balloon making, arts & crafts, clowns, carnival games and a

ton of other amazing activities...

Every child had a mission: to collect 2 HUGE bags full of prizes

throughout the day. Upon exiting the Liberty Grand, they

handed one of their bags to a Firefighter to give to a very

special child in need!

Jacob's Ladder is very excited and honored to have the

support of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association

again this year, as we plan on raising even more money and

climbing even higher up that ladder towards a cure!

On November 4th, please join us at the Liberty Grand for the

2007 Jacob's Ladder Giving Gala -in support of Sick Kids

Foundation.

Give your kids the gift of a lifetime - the knowledge that they

alone, have the power to make a difference!

For more information on the event and how to obtain tickets,

please visit www.jacobsladder.ca

5FALL 2007 | FIRE WATCH

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEhe fall issue of Fire Watch always signifies the end of summer and our entry into fall. With that change of season there are always a number of events that follow.T

Fall is our time for remembrance. By the time you receive this; many of our events will have been posted in the work place and already have taken place. Sep-tember 9th marks the Canadian Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial in Ottawa. This event has grown and become part of the fabric of fire fighting in Canada over a very short period of time. The Toronto Fire Services Pipes and Drums Band is a mainstay at this event and have become well known and well regarded by the people of Ottawa for their amazing im-promptu performances in various loca-tions throughout the city during their weekend stay.

The next weekend of September is the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs. This solemn cere-mony is one that is totally ours. The ex-perience of attending this event makes one proud to be a member of this profes-sion and the IAFF. Fire fighters from throughout North America make the journey to attend this event as flag pre-senters, honour guards, pipes and drums bands or some simply to experience the event. Many attend to be a flag present-er in case a family does not have a fire fighter from their own Local on hand to present the flag. Many attend the re-hearsals in the hot September sun only to have a presenter from the Local show up at the end and replace them. They go into the event with the knowledge that this may happen. None complain, as the sole purpose of the event is to en-sure the families are treated with the utmost respect and that the sacrifice of their lost family member is properly honoured.

Many fire fighters make the journey on motorcycles or trailer their bikes to

Scott Marks

[ ]THE MEMORIAL SITE STANDS IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAINS AND ANYONE WHO HAS ATTENDED IS TOUCHED BY THE LOCATION AND THE SOMBERNESS OF THE EVENT.

the event to take part in the ride by procession that began informally but is now part of the event. Hundreds of fire fighter’s on motorcycles thunder by the fire fighter memorial site immediately prior to the start of the ceremony.

The memorial site stands in the shad-ow of the mountains and anyone who has attended is touched by the location and the somberness of the event.

The Ontario Memorial is held on September 30th this year at the corner of Grosvenor Street and Queens Park in Toronto. The OPFFA and the Provincial Government share in putting on this event which honours fire fighters

throughout the province who have died in the line of duty over the past year. Our involvement has become integral but our attendance needs to improve. This memorial, held in our own back-yard, should be attended by far more of our own members.

The other event that the fall has be-come known for is elections. This year will prove to be no different as we enter a provincial election. Most Toronto Fire Fighters know very well my position on being involved in elections and FIREPAC. Maintaining a high level of political ac-tion is essential if we are to continue to have a say in the legislation that touches our lives and also create an en-vironment for positive labour relations.

Regardless of anyone’s political bent, we, as the Association, evaluate a gov-ernment or politician’s support based

on their ability to be open, provide us access and be understanding of our issues.

You cannot expect to get your issues dealt with if the politicians do not know what they are or do not understand them.

The current provincial government under Dalton McGuinty has moved de-cisively on our key issues in this term of government. WSIB presumptive legisla-tion and OMERS autonomy have been

important issues for fire fighters for the past fifteen years. They had received nothing but lip service from the previ-ous governments. The McGuinty Liber-als acted quickly and decisively to ad-dress these long standing fire fighter concerns. They faced tremendous oppo-sition, not only from other political parties, but also from the Association of Municipalities (AMO) and CUPE. McGuinty did not cave to AMO as his predecessors have done. And his com-ments to Syd Ryan in the house will for-ever stay with me as one of the defining moments of a politician that has stood tall for fire fighters. It is for this reason that the Ontario Professional Fire Fight-ers Association has endorsed Dalton McGuinty as Premier for the upcoming election. While I recognize that all of you may have your individual views on


McGuinty’s government, none can deny that he has delivered on our issues.

As always, we do not endorse any po-litical party, and instead support candi-dates based on their willingness to ad-dress fire fighter issues. This year will be no different and in all likelihood we

will support candidates from all three major parties.

Loyalty is something fire fighters un-derstand and we must stand for those that have stood with us. The fall brings again an opportunity to remember those that continue to stand tall with us and

those that have fallen protecting the communities we serve.

Scott MarksPresident, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, I.A.F.F. Local 3888

President’s Message ... Continued from page 5

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Captain John A. Chappelle1954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 20071954 - 2007

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SECRETARY TREASURER’S MESSAGEn June 14th, I attended the OMERS Administration Committee and senior management annual stake holders meeting in Toronto. Its purpose was to communicate the 2006 Plan’s performance to OMERS stake holders; employers, members

and retirees, and to outline future priorities and to provide attendees with a chance to ask questions and provide input.

2006 PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS• OMERS posted a 16.4% total fund re-turn in 2006, exceeding the benchmark return of 13.7%; • Fair market value of net assets in-creased by 15.8% to total $47.6 billion; • OMERS had a net investment income of $6.5 billion; • Satisfaction rating of 91% in pension services.

Despite the strong returns, the defi cit still remains, due to assets still recog-nizing losses from 2001 and 2002. This is the result of an actuarial smoothing process that combines market fl uctua-tions over the previous fi ve years, as well as gains from strong returns over the past four years, and defers them in order to smooth out these variances.

It is because of the above noted highlights that the OMERS Sponsors Corporation has decided not to fi le the

Frank Ramagnano

actuarial valuation with the government. The actuarial valuation is a study and valuation of the assets and liabilities of the fund. This valuation must be fi led a minimum of once every three years. If it were to be fi led, we would be looking at a OMERS contribution increase. It must be fi led next year however and we could see an OMERS contribution increase for January 1, 2009. The decision was made to wait a year to fi le, as the smoothing of the losses will be less and the smoothing of the gains will be increased. Also, if the plan matches its performance of the last three years, then the contribution increase to combat the actuarial defi cit would be less or not required at all. I reported last year that I thought OMERS was utilizing the correct strategy and it appears that they are, as the defi cit has decreased. If the same rate of return for 2006 is achieved again in 2007 then the actuarial defi cit would be wiped out.

Below is an updated chart for 2007. It is a rough estimation, as I am not an accountant but I did my best to try and make it as accurate as possible. I used the actual salaries paid and placed them in the OMERS formula to fi gure out the pension. To get a true refl ection of your pension, you should contact OMERS, as well as monitor your annual personalized report that is mailed to you each year.

Frank Ramagnano Secretary - Treasurer, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ AssociationI.A.F.F. Local 3888

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YOUR SCBATHE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSEAGAINST TOXIC EXPOSURE.

Toxic fumes from smouldering debris are just as harmful as those from an active fire. So until you’re sure the danger’s really over, wear your SCBA.

This photo was taken in 1980 in Canada. A lot has changed since then, but job hazards – especially during investigations – are sometimes still not treated with the caution they deserve.Photo: Carlo Hindian/Masterfile

Originally developed by: Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, The Fire Fighters’ Association of Ontario, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Municipal Health and Safety Association, Ontario Section 21 Committee, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).© 2006, WSIB – all rights reserved. Printed in Canada. #5065C (07/06). To order posters, contact WSIB: 1-800-663-6639, or WSIB Marketing: 1-800-387-0750 / 5540 (Outside Ontario / Canada).


VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Representatives from management, unions and other interested parties were part of a ‘Technical Committee’ to wrestle with this critical concern for fire fighters in Canada and the United States. The Chair was Alan V. Brunacini from the Phoenix Fire Department and the Secretary was Richard M. Duffy from the International Association of Fire Fighters. Jim Lee, a past president from our own Local, and the present IAFF Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations was also in-cluded. On December 1, 2000, the International Association of Fire Chiefs also endorsed this standard. Although the document that has been agreed upon is approximately twenty pages long, and includes issues ranging from Airport Rescue to Incident Manage-ment Systems, I am concerned with present staffing levels in the Toronto Fire Services.

The 1710 Standard calls for a mini-mum of four personnel on each appara-tus. Also, the fire fighters should arrive on the scene of an emergency within four minutes of the dispatch centre re-ceiving the call. I believe that it is time for the Toronto Fire Services to review its staffing requirements. The call num-bers for emergency services are stagger-ing, but since amalgamation, the total complement of fire fighters is down by seven personnel, while the Toronto Po-lice have added 742 officers, and TEMS is up by 319 hires. In fact, from 1998 to 2006 fire fighting is the only City

n 2001, after ten years of research and much debate, the NFPA endorsed a set of minimum standards for the staffi ng of fi re crews. This committee brought together stakeholders from the various jurisdictions and has achieved a consensus

on the staffi ng of fi re apparatus as well as many other issues relating to fi re fi ghter and public safety.

IEd Kennedy

National Fire Protection Association 1710 Standard Sets Staffing Levels

Department which has had declining staff. From my point of view, this is not acceptable. In a recent budget request, the Fire Chief requested the hiring of five additional mechanics to keep up with the increased work load of repair-ing and maintaining the present fleet.

Local 3888 does have some authority with regards to staffing levels. Article 49.01 (Filling of Vacancies) states that; ‘a recruit class would be initiated when vacancies in the present work force cre-ated by death, retirement, resignation or discharge reaches forty (40). Also, the parties have, in good faith, signed a ‘Letter of Intent’ which, among other things, mandates that a joint committee will be formed to study staffing levels. It goes on to state, “The parties under-stand and agree that the initial objective of the committee shall be to develop a clear definition and common under-standing of what NFPA recommends and how the standard may apply to the TFS workplace...Staffing review with the objective of keeping all apparatus in service and improving morale.” The directive of the above letter of intent will indeed be stretched as a result of a letter from the City, dated August 10, 2007, in response to their present bud-get situation. It institutes a hiring freeze and notes that, “any staffing that does proceed will require the approval of either the Deputy City Manager or City Manager and will take place only in cases where staffing of the position is required to meet legislative or health

and safety requirements or is critical to service delivery”. It goes on to advise that there will be a decrease in proac-tive inspections and public education programs. I would strongly argue that sufficient staffing is very much a public and fire fighter safety issue and a critical priority for the delivery of our emergency service.

It is time for our Local to make suffi-cient staffing and adherence to the NFPA 1710 standard a priority issue. Fire fight-ing is a dangerous occupation and we deserve to be protected with adequate staffing in emergency situations. As well, I believe that the citizens of Toronto are entitled to the best possible protection that our union, the fire administration and city council can provide. The 1710 Standard has taken a very long time to develop but its research has demonstrat-ed that by responding quickly and with enough personnel, property damage, injury and death are minimized. When combined with a myriad of other bene-fits, all parties should be working to-wards its implementation at the earliest possible opportunity. If done in good faith by the City and the Association, it will be a win/win situation for both; not to mention the benefit to the com-munity at large.

Ed Kennedy Vice-President, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ AssociationI.A.F.F. Local 3888

12

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BY TODD RILEY, WEST COMMAND CHAPLAIN

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Rev. Todd RileyOn what turned out to be the hottest days of the summer, I cut down several trees and dug out their stumps. The immediate benefit was that I had tempo-rarily lost several pounds. Since then, I have made numerous trips to Home Depot to buy supplies. As of August 21st, I now have, what I consider to be a beau-tiful shed. Yes, I still have a long way to go—the siding needs to be attached, the door and windows need to be installed and half a roof remains to be shingled. However, the exciting news is that with a few more dollars and hours, I’ll be done.

I love building things. In particular, I like to build things out of wood. The reason has to do with the fact that at the end of every session, I can see concrete, measurable results. Your work in the TFS involves concrete, measurable re-sults. When a fire is extinguished, that’s a measurable action; when an accident victim is extracted from a vehicle, that’s concrete; when someone in the Me-chanical Division fixes a vehicle, one can see, feel and touch what they’ve done. No doubt, all of these actions are gratifying to some extent. Most of us like things that are measurable. To look at something and say, “Yesterday I was at stage X and today I’m at stage Y,” this is most satisfying.

While I can look at my shed every day and see beautiful changes, the same is not always so in my life. When I look at

the life of Christ, who is my ultimate mentor, I’m challenged by his call, which is found in the Bible, to be content in every situation; to think upon things that are right; to serve others; to be truthful, trustworthy, and loyal. I’m also called upon to grow in patience, kind-ness, goodness and forgiveness, while forsaking envy, anger, boastfulness, and pride. These are all character issues that, at times, I really struggle with in terms of making headway.

Having a good character and being a mature person is an important thing. We are known by our character. By our character, we build a reputation for ourselves. Long term success in our jobs and relationships depend on it. In short, character counts.

Our character can open doors or slam them shut in our faces. Ralph Waldo Emerson describes character in this way, “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become deeds. Watch your deeds, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Character is everything.”

The preacher D.L Moody once said, “Character is what you are in the dark.”

Albert Einstein also has chimed in on the subject of character, saying, “Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is the character.”

As mentioned, on the character front,

sometimes I feel like I’m going backward and sometimes I feel like I’m going forward. Compounding the issue is the fact that, in the short term, character development is very hard to measure. Character growth is not like a mush-room that sprouts up over night. Lasting and transforming character growth takes time, effort, steps forward, steps backward, and yes, God’s help. A good friend or mentor, to help keep you ac-countable and be honest with you, is helpful for developing character as well.

In a few short weeks, my shed, unlike me, is going to be perfectly complete. Although my shed will be complete, it will eventually deteriorate with age, weather, and who knows, some delin-quent might even burn it down.

Opposed to this, a life lived focusing on character development may be slow and tedious but character lasts forever. Let’s persevere in developing character and becoming life long learners; that we might, with God’s help, make an impact that will not be affected by such things as weather, rot, or fire.

Blessings.

WEST COMMANDRev. Todd Riley [email protected]

fter several years of lobbying, my wonderful wife gave me the green light to build a shed in the backyard.A

14

T O T H E E D I T O RT O T H E E D I T O RLe e

A SAD DAY MADE BETTERPresident Marks, I just wanted to let you know how a small effort made a big differ-ence to one of our members and his family. Captain Paul Richardson’s (Station 421B) father passed away on March 13th and the funeral service was held on March 19th. I contacted the union offi ce and with Mari-lyn’s help she guided me to Rayanne Dubkov of the executive. After I left her a message, she promptly called me back. I was asking if we could arrange to borrow some white gloves for our crew from 421B shift so we could attend the service in dress uniform and make our appearance that much more professional. This was done as Paul’s father participated in London England during WW2 in the Firewatch Brigade. This was an impor-tant part of his dad’s life, and Paul said it would have meant a lot to him. I know Paul and his family were touched as the crew set up an ‘honour guard’ after the service.

Why am I writing? We usually think of our Association when all the ‘big issues’ arise. Contracts, health and safety, etc. The effort put forth by Rayanne was over and above what I expected including arranging a fl oral arrangement at the funeral home for visitation (she offered—I did not ask/ex-pect), and had a set of white gloves ready for pick up from the union hall. This ‘small’ effort put forth by our executive shows our Association really does work hard for each of our members.

Doug Harper

JOHN CHAPPELLE TRIBUTEWould you please extend a sincere thank you to Rayanne, the C & B Committee, the Executive Board, and Dave and Andrew for all their hard work in making, what for me was, an excellent day in our tribute to John Chappelle. I have been to many LODD Services but this one really affected me differently and I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the special effort that goes into making these sad days also ones that we can be proud of.

Ernie Thorne

A HEARTFELT THANKSDear Captain Robinson and the crew of pump 111: On behalf of St. John’s Rehab Hospital, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for attending our 69th annual Garden Party on June 2, 2007. Year after year, this event is a wonderful success because of the active participation of our community. We have always valued the Toronto Firefi ghters’ contribution to our events and your ongoing support of our efforts to serve the Willowdale community. Thank you for your valuable contribution to our Garden Party. Your commitment to St. John’s Rehab is sincerely appreciated.

Lisa Sykes, Coordinator, Strategic CommunicationsSt. Johns Rehab HospitalSt. Johns Rehab Hospital

610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9

tel. 416·946·6560 fax 416·946·6563

Visit us at www.pmhf.ca

Email: [email protected] Charitable Organization No. 88900 7597 RR0001

July 18, 2007

Mr. Scott Marks

Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

39 Commissioners St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1A6

Dear Mr. Marks,

The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation is thrilled that Starfield-Lion is on board as

the platinum sponsor of the 2008 Toronto Fire Fighter Calendar. It is with sincere

gratitude that we thank Starfield-Lion for their generous contribution of $25,000 in

support of the Fire Fighters’ Cancer Research Fund at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Last year The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation raised over $65 million to support

breakthrough research, patient care and education programs at Princess Margaret

Hospital, Canada’s leading cancer research hospital. None of this would be possible

without the enthusiastic and loyal support of our numerous donors, sponsors, volunteers

and community partners.

The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association has always been a strong supporter

of Princess Margaret Hospital. I would like to express our thanks to you and the

firefighters for committing yourselves to the fight against cancer. Your kindness and

generosity help us move closer to achieving our vision: To Conquer Cancer.

Sincerely,

Paul Alofs

President & CEO


tel. 416·946·6560 fax 416·946·6563


Email: [email protected]

Charitable Organization No. 88900 7597 RR0001

July 18, 2007

Mr. Scott Marks



Toronto, ON M5A 1A6

Dear Mr. Marks,














Sincerely,

Paul Alofs

President & CEO

AN ENJOYABLE DAY FOR ALLOn behalf of my family and many other members who attended yesterday’s picnic, a well deserved thank you and congratula-tions on a well run and enjoyable day for all. Many I spoke to were very pleased at the effi ciency and organization of all the days events. This day serves as a fi ne example of what our Association provides for all our members.

The hats for the kids was a great touch as many people commented on them through-out the day. Thanks for a great day! Damien Walsh


FIRE WATCH accepts Letters to the Editor, articles, essays, and photographs from Local 3888 Members, active and retired. We will also accept fi re related submissions from outside authors or photographers.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MAY BE FORWARDED TO:Letter to the EditorFIRE WATCH39 Commissioners StreetToronto, OntarioCanadaM5A 1A6

LETTERS POLICYYou may email your letter to:fi rewatch@torontofi refi ghters.org

FIRE WATCH welcomes letters to the editor to give you – Local 3888 members – an opportunity to express your views, concerns, ideas, or gripes.

We can’t print every letter and in some instances letters will have to be edited due to space limitations.

We do not accept attachments. Please paste your letter into the body of your email and use the subject line “Letter to the Editor.”

ARTICLESBefore sending a full article submission, we suggest that you forward an outline or suggestion for an article to the Editor. FIRE WATCH is your magazine, and as such, we will accept articles on any subject related to Local 3888 and the fi re community. Subjects could include but are not limited to: health issues, history, sporting events, equipment, training issues, personal essays, etc.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS/QUERIES MAY BE FORWARDED TO:ArticlesFIRE WATCH39 Commissioners StreetToronto, OntarioCanada M5A 1A6

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PHOTOGRAPHYPlease contact the Editors before forwarding your photographic work for consideration.

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[ ]

[ ]

Le e


tel. 416·946·6560 fax 416·946·6563


Email: [email protected] Charitable Organization No. 88900 7597 RR0001

July 18, 2007

Mr. Scott Marks



Toronto, ON M5A 1A6

Dear Mr. Marks,














Sincerely,

Paul Alofs

President & CEO

GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORTEarly in the morning on August 4, 2007 I answered the door to two uniformed police offi cers who informed me that our eldest son Brent was killed in a car accident. It was sur-real, unbelievable and then shocking. Brent would have turned 21 on September 12. He and two of his friends were out late on Friday night of the August long weekend. After a full week at work we understand the driver fell

asleep and the car left the road and hit a tree just minutes from home. Both the driver and Brent, who was in the passenger seat, succumbed to their injuries. Unfortunately the vehicle was a 1988 Oldsmobile and was not equipped with airbags. The other pas-senger, Brent’s friend Corey, survived and we are hopeful he will make a full recovery.

Our family is devastated by the loss of our son. Brent was really coming into his own. He was an honours student at York University and was set to head off to England on September 16 on a scholarship and exchange program. Prior to the morning of August 4, my wife Jackie and I were probably at the proudest point in our lives as parents. We were fi nally seeing the benefi ts after some hectic years of running to hockey arenas, challenging report cards at school and those other issues young families have to deal with. Being our eldest, we were so proud of the example Brent was setting for his sister Stephanie, brother Brian T and all his younger cousins. We know they will all honour his legacy. I somehow always thought with my experience as a fi refi ghter I had instilled in my children an appreciation of such risks to ensure that something like this would never happen to our family. I guess my point is it can happen to any of us and by sharing our experience, hopefully you will take the time to give your children that extra embrace and warning before they head off to do whatever it is they may be doing.

These last few weeks have been a substantial test for our family. We could never have made it through this period without the support of family, friends, and colleagues. The support that Toronto fi refi ghters provided our family was overwhelming. The many people who took time out of busy summer schedules to attend the visitation and funeral was greatly appreciated. The fl owers from the association and the donations to the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital meant a lot to our family. The contingent of fi refi ghters in uniform at the funeral, on a very hot summer afternoon, made me proud to be a Toronto fi refi ghter. As I have said to many of you in the last few weeks, there are no words that can explain our loss. I also don’t know if there are words that can adequately convey our thanks.

Sincerely,Brian, Jackie, Stephanie and Brian T.The Fosters

Brent at Lake Kennesis this summerBrent at Lake Kennesis this summer

Brent, his girlfriend Jamie and “Stewy” at Stn.223 on fathers day this year

Brent, his girlfriend Jamie and “Stewy” at

16

to silence as Wittman and Duguid prac-tically swallowed their microphones.

Ed has always been known by the fans as a blue collar guy and the media knew him as someone they could get a good quote from on a slow day. He learned his values and work ethic grow-ing up on the farm, getting up early to start on the day’s chores. He also had a reputation for not always agreeing with some of the decisions made by the Ca-nadian Curling Association (CCA). In 1990, he was playing in a tournament in Sault Saint Marie. He continually told Toronto Star reporter Tom Slater that he would have a special comment if he won. Sure enough, when they won, he gave the quote that the CCA appointed coach of the team, Warren Hansen, was fired. This started an uproar and media frenzy that took a long time to die down. The CCA later instituted a policy that players could not fire the CCA appointed coach.

The team that wins the Brier repre-sents Canada at the world champion-

Fire fighters from all over the world followed the exploits of Ed “The Wrench”

Werenich for almost three decades as he competed professionally at the sport of curling. When we would see Ed competing on television and beating the world’s best curlers, we were all very proud as we pointed him out to our friends and told them that he was a fire fighter too. Many of the years that Ed curled, Neil Harrison, who is also a Toronto Fire Fighter, was on his team. Fire fighters could not have been more proud of them.

Ed Werenich was born in Benito, Manitoba and was raised on his parents’ farm. He started curling when he was ten and remembers curling on ponds with barn hinges frozen into ice formed in cans to make rocks. When he gradu-ated from high school, Ed moved to To-ronto and began his first job in Ontario at the American Can Company, which was close to the Toronto Airport.

In Toronto, Ed enrolled at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, taking business administration. He met a few people there who had a profound affect on his life. There were people attending Ryer-

son who later rose to the top of the curling world; people like Bruce Mon-roe, John Cushing, and Rick Jones. In their first try, these guys from Ryerson made it to the Ontario Championships. Ed light-heartedly comments that his friends from Ryerson went on to make large salaries in the business world while he made less money, but had a wonderful life working on the fire department.

Ed became a Scarborough Fire Fighter in September of 1974. Many years went by where he did not have any summer vacation because he would work all summer for other guys and they would pay him back by working for him in the winter. Ed has 33 years on the job now and presently works at Station 212 on “D” shift.

In the course of his high profile career, Ed won ten Ontario Champion-ships, two Canadian Championships (Briers), and two World Championships. In 1983, Ed was playing against the Ed Lukowich team in the finals of the Brier, while Don Wittman and Don Duguid were the television personalities cover-ing the game. This was one of the first times where a TV network wired an athlete with a live microphone while a game was being played. When faced with a tough shot that no one expected to be successful, Ed was overheard, over international TV, saying, “all we can do is throw it out there, and sweep the piss out of it.” The TV audience was treated

Ed WerenichMember Profi le on BY TONY MACDONALD, TORONTO FIRE CAPTAIN, STATION 445A


ships. In 1990, the worlds were in Swe-den. Ed had been to Sweden before and announced to the CCA that he didn’t want to go to Sweden. When pressed for reasons, Ed said that “fifteen dollars for a beer and twenty dollars for a screw-driver” was too expensive. One of their sponsors, Labatt Breweries, stepped up to the plate and sent thirty cases of beer to the site. Ed thought that this solved the problem, but when he told team mate John Kawaja, John said that thir-ty was not enough; so Labatt called their plant in England to send ten more cases. Ed’s team won their second world champi-onship that year, beating Scot-land’s rink, skipped by David Smith, in the finals.

Ed had a number of disagree-ments with the CCA over the years, but two stuck out in his mind. Ed says that the CCA would sometimes bring “umpires” onto the ice in tournaments, who were politi-cally appointed. This allowed friends of the sport to have their way to a tourna-ment paid. The problem would come when an umpire made a bad decision that affected the outcome of a game. Another problem was played out in the media when, in 1987, curling was being introduced in the Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport. The CCA said that Ed would be disqualified if he did not shed a few pounds. This was a very hurt-ful way to treat a world champion.

Occasionally the guys still get togeth-er to enjoy watching videos that Neil Harrison kept from the old days. Ed and his team mates have the distinction of being the first curling team to reach one million dollars in winnings. They won a lot of “cash spiels,” and given the

choice between a car, and cash, they chose the cash.

When Ed retired from competitive curling, he began to give back to the community by lending his name to, or by personally attending charity events. He vividly remembers a charity dinner in Barrie where, as he entered a hospi-

tality room, he looked up and saw NHL legend Bobby Hull. He was hoping to get a chance to say hi to “Mr. Hull” but when Bobby looked up and saw Ed, he yelled out “Hey Wrench” as he ran over to shake Ed’s hand and talk with him about his curling.

At another event, Ed was about to ap-proach Bobby Orr to ask “Mr. Orr” for an autograph. When Bobby Orr saw him, he also wanted to talk with Ed, who ended up walking away with an autographed hockey jersey.

Ed went to the Ferguson Jenkins charity golf event where 16 celebrities would golf with people to raise money. The day before the event there was an optional fishing trip that Ed chose to at-tend. When he walked out to the hotel parking lot to go fishing, there were 16 Ranger boats sitting there with Bob and

Wayne Izumi to greet him. Each guy got a professional guide and his own boat to go fishing for the day. Ed was amazed by the fact that every one of the celebrities he met, from all different sports, were down to earth, regular guys.

One of Ed’s favourite moments came when he was 15 years old. He was up to

bat for the Benito Braves baseball team, and the pitcher he faced was the very famous Satchel Paige. Satchel hung a “knuckler” and Ed hit it for a base hit. Ed stood on first base and thought he had “won the world,” after getting a hit off Satchel Paige.

Ed’s wife Linda also comes from Beni-to, Manitoba. They met in high school and were married in 1972. She has been supportive of Ed’s work throughout their marriage. Ed spoke about how im-portant it is to have that type of rela-tionship. He would be away from home quite often, either at the fire depart-ment or at curling tournaments, and she was often left alone to handle their home and two boys. Without that kind of support, we would not have been able to witness the wonderful accomplish-ments that Ed has shown to the world.

Ed WerenichMember Profi le on

18

medics with the tools they need to per-form their jobs. The union also provides a strong voice in the development and implementation of new training and equipment, and has worked hard to advance the proper staffing of fire and EMS departments.

Building for the FutureThe IAFF is actively engaged in all fac-

ets of the modern fire service and domes-tic preparedness. While always respect-ing the past, the union is focusing with single-minded purpose on preparing its members for the challenges they face today and will confront tomorrow.

Nothing better exemplifies the IAFF’s efforts than the successful six-year cam-paign to enact a comprehensive staffing and deployment standard for professional fire departments. The entire fire service coalesced behind NFPA 1710, with the IAFF leading the way. The standard was endorsed by the International Associa-tion of Fire Chiefs (including both its ca-reer and volunteer sections), the National Association of State Fire Marshals, and numerous other fire organizations. Now the IAFF is working with its affiliates to implement this historic standard.

But that’s just the beginning of the IAFF’s current work.

Since the mid-1980s, under grants from several U.S. federal agencies, the IAFF has developed the nation’s premier

[From the Preamble of the Constitution and By-Laws of the International Associa-tion of Fire Fighters AFL-CIO, CLC]

Throughout the last 83 years, the members and staff of the IAFF have worked tirelessly to fulfill each of these charges. As a result of their work, the IAFF was the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the twentieth century, from the introduction of shift schedules early in the century to the enactment of the 2-in/2-out safety regulation near its close. With extremely active political and legis-lative programs, and with recognized ex-perts in the fields of occupational health and safety, fire-based emergency medical services and hazardous materials train-ing, the IAFF has long occupied a special place in the North American fire service.

Today, the IAFF is the primary advo-cate for providing fire fighters and para-

The IAFF was established on Feb. 28, 1918, for the sole benefit of rank-and-file fire fighters in the

United States and Canada. It was on this date that 36 fire fighter delegates attended the first IAFF Convention and adopted the IAFF Constitution and By-Laws. The objectives incorporated into that Constitution remain in its preamble to this day.

At that meeting, the delegates decided to dedicate their union to the following objectives (modified only slightly over time): f To organize all fire fighters and emer-gency medical or rescue workers; f To secure just compensation for their services and equitable settlement of their grievances; f To promote as safe and healthy a work-ing environment for fire fighters as is possible through modern technology;

f To promote the establishment of just and reasonable working conditions; f To place the members of the Associa-tion on a higher plane of skill and effi-ciency; f To promote harmonious relations be-tween fire fighters and their employers; f To encourage the formation of local unions, state and provincial associations and joint councils; f To encourage the formation of sick and death benefit funds; f To promote the research and treat-ment of burns and other related health problems common to fire fighters; f To encourage the establishment of schools of instruction for imparting knowledge of modern and improved methods of fire fighting and prevention; and f To cultivate friendship and fellowship among its members.

The members of the IAFF are fully committed to the political process. They understand that they can only achieve so much without engaging their elected leaders and holding them accountable for the policy they make. Thanks to its total commitment to politics, the IAFF has se-cured, and continues to fight for, heart, lung and other disability laws at the lo-cal, state and federal levels to protect fire fighters who become ill from on-the-job hazards. The union also won enactment of federal benefits for the survivors of fire fighters killed or totally disabled in the line of duty, as well as a host of other advances that affect every citizen.

IAFF members work for others off the job as well. The IAFF and its 2,700 affili-ates support numerous charitable activi-ties at the local and national levels. The union is the largest national sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, having contributed more than $150 mil-lion to MDA over the last 45 years. The IAFF also underwrites scholarships for the children of fire fighters killed in the line of duty, and the organization’s Burn Foundation gives more money for burn research than any organization outside of the federal government. It also spon-sors an annual National Children’s Burn Camp in Washington, D.C. and provides funding to many of the 40 regional burn camps across North America.

As the IAFF moves ahead with its am-bitious agenda to build a better future for its members and the public they serve, it does so always with an eye on its proud legacy and on the brave work of those who came before.

hazardous materials training program for first responders. The IAFF has directly trained more than 160,000 professional and volunteer fire fighters. More than 400,000 emergency responders have re-ceived hazardous materials training from course materials developed by the IAFF. The IAFF is also seeking to prepare its members for developing a new program to train fire fighters and paramedics in responding to situations involving the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Because fire fighting is still one of the most dangerous occupations in North America, with nearly one in three fire fighters injured in the line of duty each year, the IAFF remains a leading voice for fire fighter health and safety issues. The IAFF sponsors a major biennial con-ference on occupational health and safe-ty in the fire service, as well as a com-prehensive conference on emergency medical service issues. This year EMS conference took place in Houston, Tex-as. The next Redmond Symposium on Occupational Health and Hazards of the Fire Service will be in Chicago, Illinois.

A LEGACY TO HONOURA LEGACY TO HONOURHistory of the IAFF


medics with the tools they need to per-form their jobs. The union also provides a strong voice in the development and implementation of new training and equipment, and has worked hard to advance the proper staffing of fire and EMS departments.

Building for the FutureThe IAFF is actively engaged in all fac-

ets of the modern fire service and domes-tic preparedness. While always respect-ing the past, the union is focusing with single-minded purpose on preparing its members for the challenges they face today and will confront tomorrow.

Nothing better exemplifies the IAFF’s efforts than the successful six-year cam-paign to enact a comprehensive staffing and deployment standard for professional fire departments. The entire fire service coalesced behind NFPA 1710, with the IAFF leading the way. The standard was endorsed by the International Associa-tion of Fire Chiefs (including both its ca-reer and volunteer sections), the National Association of State Fire Marshals, and numerous other fire organizations. Now the IAFF is working with its affiliates to implement this historic standard.

But that’s just the beginning of the IAFF’s current work.

Since the mid-1980s, under grants from several U.S. federal agencies, the IAFF has developed the nation’s premier

[From the Preamble of the Constitution and By-Laws of the International Associa-tion of Fire Fighters AFL-CIO, CLC]

Throughout the last 83 years, the members and staff of the IAFF have worked tirelessly to fulfill each of these charges. As a result of their work, the IAFF was the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the twentieth century, from the introduction of shift schedules early in the century to the enactment of the 2-in/2-out safety regulation near its close. With extremely active political and legis-lative programs, and with recognized ex-perts in the fields of occupational health and safety, fire-based emergency medical services and hazardous materials train-ing, the IAFF has long occupied a special place in the North American fire service.

Today, the IAFF is the primary advo-cate for providing fire fighters and para-

The IAFF was established on Feb. 28, 1918, for the sole benefit of rank-and-file fire fighters in the

United States and Canada. It was on this date that 36 fire fighter delegates attended the first IAFF Convention and adopted the IAFF Constitution and By-Laws. The objectives incorporated into that Constitution remain in its preamble to this day.

At that meeting, the delegates decided to dedicate their union to the following objectives (modified only slightly over time): f To organize all fire fighters and emer-gency medical or rescue workers; f To secure just compensation for their services and equitable settlement of their grievances; f To promote as safe and healthy a work-ing environment for fire fighters as is possible through modern technology;

f To promote the establishment of just and reasonable working conditions; f To place the members of the Associa-tion on a higher plane of skill and effi-ciency; f To promote harmonious relations be-tween fire fighters and their employers; f To encourage the formation of local unions, state and provincial associations and joint councils; f To encourage the formation of sick and death benefit funds; f To promote the research and treat-ment of burns and other related health problems common to fire fighters; f To encourage the establishment of schools of instruction for imparting knowledge of modern and improved methods of fire fighting and prevention; and f To cultivate friendship and fellowship among its members.

The members of the IAFF are fully committed to the political process. They understand that they can only achieve so much without engaging their elected leaders and holding them accountable for the policy they make. Thanks to its total commitment to politics, the IAFF has se-cured, and continues to fight for, heart, lung and other disability laws at the lo-cal, state and federal levels to protect fire fighters who become ill from on-the-job hazards. The union also won enactment of federal benefits for the survivors of fire fighters killed or totally disabled in the line of duty, as well as a host of other advances that affect every citizen.

IAFF members work for others off the job as well. The IAFF and its 2,700 affili-ates support numerous charitable activi-ties at the local and national levels. The union is the largest national sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, having contributed more than $150 mil-lion to MDA over the last 45 years. The IAFF also underwrites scholarships for the children of fire fighters killed in the line of duty, and the organization’s Burn Foundation gives more money for burn research than any organization outside of the federal government. It also spon-sors an annual National Children’s Burn Camp in Washington, D.C. and provides funding to many of the 40 regional burn camps across North America.

As the IAFF moves ahead with its am-bitious agenda to build a better future for its members and the public they serve, it does so always with an eye on its proud legacy and on the brave work of those who came before.

hazardous materials training program for first responders. The IAFF has directly trained more than 160,000 professional and volunteer fire fighters. More than 400,000 emergency responders have re-ceived hazardous materials training from course materials developed by the IAFF. The IAFF is also seeking to prepare its members for developing a new program to train fire fighters and paramedics in responding to situations involving the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Because fire fighting is still one of the most dangerous occupations in North America, with nearly one in three fire fighters injured in the line of duty each year, the IAFF remains a leading voice for fire fighter health and safety issues. The IAFF sponsors a major biennial con-ference on occupational health and safe-ty in the fire service, as well as a com-prehensive conference on emergency medical service issues. This year EMS conference took place in Houston, Tex-as. The next Redmond Symposium on Occupational Health and Hazards of the Fire Service will be in Chicago, Illinois.

A LEGACY TO HONOURHistory of the IAFF

STATION 315STATION 315BY JON LASIUK, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTER

A

20

nyone who has ever travelled along College Street in downtown Toronto has surely noticed the majestic clock tower of one of the province’s oldest in-service fi re stations Located at 132

Bellevue Avenue, near both Little Italy and the heavily-congested streets of Kensington Market, Fire Station 315 serves a diverse community. Street upon street of tightly-packed Victorian homes ensure a steady stream of challenging fi res, while the nearby University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital keep the fi re fi ghters of Station 315 on their toes with the special challenges that these large facilities present.

at the reins of the two-wheeled wagon just a couple of years later. In 1896 he is again holding the reins of the new 4-wheeled hose wagon. On October 16th, 1911 an older William Slaght sits proudly behind the wheel of the first motor wagon on its first day of service. Department re-cords show that after making Captain in December of 1930, he retired from the Quartermaster shop on January 3rd, 1946 after an astounding 55 years on the job!

As the city progressed to the north and west throughout the teens, the need for an additional ladder company in the area soon became evident. In 1922, the T.F.D. constructed a new one-bay ladder station adjacent to the hose station on Bellevue Avenue. A new 1922 LaFrance Type 33 city-service hook & ladder truck was

The original fire hall was constructed by the Toronto Fire Department in 1878. Consisting of a single apparatus bay with living quarters above, “# 8 Hose Station” was one of three stations constructed that year as the T.F.D.—only four years a professional force—struggled to provide adequate fire protection to a quickly growing city.

The first apparatus assigned to # 8 Hose was a locally-built two-wheeled hose cart, pulled by a single horse. Water was supplied directly from the hydrants or from one of the department’s few steam-powered engines. In what would be the first of many “firsts” for the station, # 8 Hose received one of the first four-wheeled hose wagons purchased by the T.F.D. in 1896. The bigger carriage al-lowed for more men to be carried on top of the relative safety of the wagon. At the same time, the amount of hose that could be carried was more than doubled. For the time being, there were still four legs attached to the front end though.

All that would change with the turn of the century. The internal combustion en-gine was all the rage and the T.F.D. was eager, yet apprehensive, to try the new technology on its apparatus. In an experi-mental move, the department purchased a single Seagrave Model AC-80 gasoline powered hose wagon in 1911. The appara-tus carried 1000’ of hose, two ground lad-ders, as well as a separate bed for 200’ of hose attached to a large chemical extin-guisher mounted behind the driver and officer. The department chose # 8 Hose to receive this new rig, reasoning that it would receive a lot of fire work in this area, but if it failed to start, there would still be several other companies close by pulled by the trusted horses. Needless to say, motorization was a resounding suc-cess, and the days of the horses were numbered.

Several famous photographs exist of # 8 Hose Station during the early years of horse-power and motorization. Common throughout all of them was the man in the driver’s seat. William Slaght joined the Toronto Fire Department on January 6th, 1891. His skills as a horseman must have made an impression as he is pictured

assigned to the company. Although physically connected, the two stations operated independently. The ladder company station was even given its own number - # 29 – until 1946. This is one of three instances where Toronto fire halls operated independently while situated beside each other.

After almost 100 years of service, the old hose station was beginning to show its age. The introduction of much larger motor apparatus also required the depart-ment to consider enlarging the original bay doors. As an alternative it was decided to tear down the 1922-vintage aerial sta-tion and construct a new two-bay add-on for both the pump and aerial. Renovations began in 1972 but, before they could be finished, an arsonist set fire to the vacant quarters, resulting in the destruction of much of the original 1878 building. A lengthy reconstruction followed, with the new station finally opening for service in November of 1973. In the pumper bay sat another revolution for the T.F.D., one of the first four diesel-powered pumpers ever purchased by the department—a 1971 Ford/King-Seagrave.

The 1990’s saw Fire Station # 8 in-volved (almost) in yet another experi-ment. In order to alleviate the problems that modern fire apparatus have in negoti-ating the narrow streets of areas such as Kensington Market, the T.F.D. sought to purchase two pumpers designed to small-er European specifications. Stations # 8 and # 3 (on Grosvenor Street) were cho-sen to receive these experimental appara-tus. Shortly after the first one entered service at Station # 3 several shortcom-ings were recognized in the attempt to meld European design with Canadian equipment and tactics. It was removed from service after only a few weeks. The rig assigned to Station # 8 never did enter service and both were later sold to a fire department in the Caribbean.

Upon the amalgamation of the Metro-politan Toronto fire Departments in 1998, T.F.D. Station # 8 was renumbered as To-ronto Fire Services Station # 315. Today, visitors to this historic building can get a sense of 129 years of tradition while visit-ing a modern, functioning fire station.

FALL 2007 | F IRE WATCH 21

22

If you have ever wondered about why people have to sleep or what causes dreams, then read on. In this article,

you’ll find out all about sleep and what it does for you.Characteristics of Sleep

We all know how sleep looks—when we see someone sleeping, we recognize the following characteristics: • If possible, the person will lie down to go to sleep. • The person’s eyes are closed. • The person doesn’t hear anything un-less it is a loud noise. • The person breathes in a slow, rhyth-mic pattern. • The person’s muscles are completely relaxed. If sitting up, the person may fall out of his or her chair as sleep deepens. • During sleep, the person occasionally rolls over or rearranges his or her body. This happens approximately once or twice an hour. This may be the body’s way of making sure that no part of the body or skin has its circulation cut off for too long a period of time.

In addition to these outward signs, the heart slows down and the brain does some pretty funky things (we’ll get to this later).

In other words, a sleeping person is un-conscious to most things happening in the environment. The biggest difference between someone who is asleep, and

someone who has fainted or gone into a coma, is the fact that a sleeping person can be aroused if the stimulus is strong enough. If you shake the person, yell loudly or flash a bright light, a sleeping person will wake up.

For any animal living in the wild, it just doesn’t seem very smart to design in a mandatory eight-hour period of near-to-tal unconsciousness every day. Yet that is exactly what evolution has done. So there must be a pretty good reason for it!

Reptiles, birds and mammals all sleep. That is, they become unconscious to their surroundings for periods of time. Some fish and amphibians reduce their awareness but do not ever become un-conscious like the higher vertebrates do. Insects do not appear to sleep, although they may become inactive in daylight or darkness.

By studying brainwaves, it is known that reptiles do not dream. Birds dream a little. Mammals all dream during sleep.

Different animals sleep in different ways. Some animals, like humans, prefer to sleep in one long session. Other ani-mals (dogs, for example) like to sleep in many short bursts. Some sleep at night, while others sleep during the day.

Sleep has a profound effect on your brain. Sleep and the BrainIf you attach an electroencephalograph to

a person’s head, you can record the per-son’s brainwave activity. An awake and relaxed person generates alpha waves, which are consistent oscillations at about 10 cycles per second. An alert person generates beta waves, which are about twice as fast.

During sleep, two slower patterns called theta waves and delta waves take over. Theta waves have oscillations in the range of 3.5 to 7 cycles per second, and delta waves have oscillations of less than 3.5 cycles per second. As a person falls asleep and sleep deepens, the brain-wave patterns slow down. The slower the brainwave patterns, the deeper the sleep —a person deep in delta wave sleep is hardest to wake up.

At several points during the night, something unexpected happens—rapid eye movement (REM) sleep occurs. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep per night, and brainwaves during this period speed up to awake lev-els. If you ever watch a person or a dog experiencing REM sleep, you will see their eyes flickering back and forth rap-idly. In many dogs and some people, arms, legs and facial muscles will twitch during REM sleep. Periods of sleep other than REM sleep are known as NREM (non-REM) sleep.

REM sleep is when you dream. If you wake up a person during REM sleep, the

HOW SLEEP WORKS

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• Sleep gives the brain a chance to organize and archive memories. Dreams are thought by some to be part of this process. • Sleep lowers our energy consumption, so we need three meals a day rather than four or five. Since we can’t do anything in the dark anyway, we might as well “turn off” and save the energy. • According to Science News Online: Napless cats awaken interest in adenos-ine, sleep may be a way of recharging the brain, using adenosine as a signal that the brain needs to rest: “Since adenosine secretion reflects brain cell activity, ris-ing concentrations of this chemical may be how the organ gauges that it has been burning up its energy reserves and needs to shut down for a while.” Adenosine lev-els in the brain rise during wakefulness and decline during sleep.

What we all know is that, with a good night’s sleep, everything looks and feels better in the morning. Both the brain and the body are refreshed and ready for a new day.Dreams and Improving Sleep HabitsWhy do we have such crazy, kooky dreams? Why do we dream at all for that matter? According to Joel Achenbach in his book Why Things Are:

The brain creates dreams through ran-dom electrical activity. Random is the key word here. About every 90 minutes the brain stem sends electrical impulses throughout the brain, in no particular order or fashion. The analytic portion of the brain—the forebrain—then desper-ately tries to make sense of these signals. It is like looking at a Rorschach test, a random splash of ink on paper. The only way of comprehending it is by viewing the dream (or the inkblot) metaphorical-ly, symbolically, since there’s no literal message.

This doesn’t mean that dreams are meaningless or should be ignored. How our forebrains choose to “analyze” the random and discontinuous images may tell us something about ourselves, just as what we see in an inkblot can be revela-tory. And perhaps there is a purpose to the craziness: Our minds may be work-ing on deep-seated problems through ZZ

ZZ

these circuitous and less threatening metaphorical dreams. Here are some other things you may have noticed about your dreams: • Dreams tell a story. They are like a TV show, with scenes, characters and props. • Dreams are egocentric. They almost always involve you. • Dreams incorporate things that have happened to you recently. They can also incorporate deep wishes and fears. • A noise in the environment is often worked in to a dream in some way, giving some credibility to the idea that dreams are simply the brain’s response to ran-dom impulses. • You usually cannot control a dream—in fact, many dreams emphasize your lack of control by making it impossible to run or yell. (However, proponents of lucid dreaming try to help you gain control.)

Dreaming is important. In sleep ex-periments where a person is woken up every time he/she enters REM sleep, the person becomes increasingly impatient and uncomfortable over time. How Much Sleep Do I Need?Most adult people seem to need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. This is an average, and it is also subjective. You, for example, probably know how much sleep you need in an average night to feel your best.

The amount of sleep you need decreas-es with age. A newborn baby might sleep 20 hours a day. By age four, the average is 12 hours a day. By age 10, the average falls to 10 hours a day. Senior citizens can often get by with six or seven hours a day. Tips to Improve Your Sleep• Exercise regularly. Exercise helps tire and relax your body. • Don’t consume caffeine after 4:00 p.m. or so. Avoid other stimulants like ciga-rettes as well. • Avoid alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol disrupts the brain’s normal patterns during sleep. • Try to stay in a pattern with a regular bedtime and wakeup time, even on weekends.

person can vividly recall dreams. If you wake up a person during NREM sleep, gen-erally the person will not be dreaming.

You must have both REM and NREM sleep to get a good night’s sleep. A nor-mal person will spend about 25 percent of the night in REM sleep, and the rest in NREM. A REM session—a dream—lasts five to 30 minutes.

Medicine can hamper your ability to get a good night’s sleep. Many medicines, including most sleeping medicines, change the quality of sleep and the REM component of it.

Missing out on a good night’s sleep can seriously affect what happens when you’re awake.Missing SleepOne way to understand why we sleep is to look at what happens when we don’t get enough:• As you know if you have ever pulled an all-nighter, missing one night of sleep is not fatal. A person will generally be irri-table during the next day and will either slow down (become tired easily) or will be totally wired because of adrenalin. • If a person misses two nights of sleep, it gets worse. Concentration is difficult, and attention span falls by the wayside. Mistakes increase. • After three days, a person will start to hallucinate and clear thinking is impos-sible. With continued wakefulness a per-son can lose grasp of reality. Rats forced to stay awake continuously will eventu-ally die, proving that sleep is essential.

A person who gets just a few hours of sleep per night can experience many of the same problems over time.

Two other things are known to happen during sleep. Growth hormone in chil-dren is secreted during sleep, and chemi-cals important to the immune system are secreted during sleep. You can become more prone to disease if you don’t get enough sleep, and a child’s growth can be stunted by sleep deprivation. But the question remains—why do we need to sleep? No one really knows, but there are all kinds of theories, including these: • Sleep gives the body a chance to repair muscles and other tissues, replace aging or dead cells, etc.

HOW SLEEP WORKS

24

By the time you have received this latest edition of Fire Watch, the Government Relations and FirePac

Committees will have put in countless hours supporting fire fighter friendly candidates. Many of these candidates ap-proached the Association early in the summer months, asking us for support in this Provincial election. Why? It is quite simple—due to the work of this union, we have proven our value in electing many successful candidates.

In order for you to understand the process involved in the candidate/party

evaluation, the following outlines the procedure:

Candidates that requested the Associa-tion’s support will have had an opportu-nity to answer our questions that we feel are important to fire fighters. These questions will have allowed the candi-date an opportunity to explain their re-spective positions on issues important to this Association and to the fire fighters in the province of Ontario as a whole. The answers to these questions provide key information for the Association to assist us in determining who to support

through FirePac. In addition, the Associa-tion will review the record of the candi-dates, if applicable, as to how they have previously supported our issues and concerns at the provincial level.

Our job is to select candidates based on who will make sure the gains we have achieved in the past are retained, and who will work with us to further enhance working conditions, pensions, funding, etc. Hopefully this process will allow us to find the reality through the perception.

Another important part of this puzzle

October 10, 2007 – The Provincial Election and Your Association’s Involvement

BY RICK BERENZ, CHAIR, LOCAL 3888 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

WE NEED YOUR HELP!


WE NEED YOUR HELP!

is to determine which candidate is most likely to win in any given race. While this does not always dictate who we will support, it would be naïve to believe it does not have an impact on the overall decision process.

Many Members believe that since we are a union, our support is only towards the NDP and/or the Liberals. The fact is this Association has a strong record of supporting those candidates who sup-port our issues, regardless of the party. We have been successful due to the rela-tionships we have developed in all political parties. Our non-partisan ap-proach has allowed us to advance our agenda to a level that has become the envy of all other organized labour groups. Through your continued sup-port of FirePac, this Association will continue to provide this same level of commitment.

Discussing politics in a fire hall can, at

times, be compared to walking through a mine field—believe me I know. We all have personal opinions as to why one would support one candidate/party over another. What the Association provides for you is the support to the candidate/party most conducive to enhancing your career as a professional fire fighter. Ulti-mately, it is up to you to decide if endors-ing the candidate/party this Association has researched and recommended is in the best interests of your career and ulti-mately your livelihood.

In the summer 2007 edition of the Intrepid, OPFFA President Fred LeBlanc posed the question, “Why endorse Pre-mier Dalton McGuinty?” President Leb-lanc’s report outlined the numerous successes that fire fighters in this prov-ince have enjoyed during this past term with the Liberals in power. The facts are indisputable! Never before have the fire fighters in this province received the

level of respect and recognition as we have from the Provincial Liberals under McGuinty’s leadership. Our mandate has always been to, “Support THOSE that Support US.” This must hold true when it comes to the Premier as well. Although, as previously stated, we take a non-partisan approach to politics, it is very difficult not to endorse the Provin-cial Liberals—their track record with us speaks for itself.

If you enjoy the benefits of being a professional fire fighter in this province, I implore you to heed the call from the Association to get involved in this final week before the vote. All of our achieve-ments need to be retained and we need to continue working with the only Government that has listened to us. The Association needs a small portion of your time to deliver flyers and put up signs to “Support those that Support Us”.

Let’s make this happen—again!

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26

We would like to inform you about your choices in On-tario’s first-ever referendum on electoral reform. It’s a

big decision. We want you to be clear about your choices so you can make an informed decision about Ontario’s fu-ture. When you vote during the advance polls or on Election and Referendum Day you will be given two ballots. One for voting for a candidate in the general elec-tion, the other will ask you to consider:Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?

One of the electoral systems you are being asked to consider is called First-Past-the-Post. It is the system used in Ontario now.

What is First-Past-the-Post and how does it work?

Ontario is divided into 107 electoral districts. In each district each voter gets one vote to choose which candidate they feel should win a seat in the provincial legislature. One vote. One ballot.

In an election using the First-Past-the-Post system, the candidate with the most votes wins and will be the representative for the electoral district in the provincial legislature. After the election, the politi-cal party that wins the most electoral districts is normally asked to form a gov-ernment.

The other electoral system you will be asked to consider during Ontario’s refer-endum is called Mixed Member Propor-tional. It is called a mixed system, be-

cause it combines two voting systems: a First-Past-the-Post system and a Propor-tional Representation system.How does Mixed Member Proportional work?

If this system is accepted, Ontarians will have two votes in future elections: one for a ‘Local Member’ and one for a political party. The provincial legislature would have 129 seats: Local Members’ would fill 90 seats while ‘List Members’ would fill 39 seats.

The political party with the largest number of seats in the legislature, in-cluding ‘Local Members’ and ‘List Mem-bers’, is asked to form a government. In each electoral district, one vote would be used to elect a ‘Local Member’ using a First-Past-the-Post system. The candidate with the most votes in an electoral dis-trict wins.

The other vote would be for a political party. Votes for parties will be used to determine the number of ‘List Members’ each party gets. This is the proportional representation part. If a political party is entitled to more seats than it won locally, ‘List Members’ are elected to make up the difference. ‘List Members’ can only be elected from a political party that re-ceived more than 3% of these votes.

In the end, a political party’s overall share of seats will roughly equal its share of the total votes for parties in the prov-ince. Anyone who meets the rules for eligibility can become a candidate for

Electoral Reform


election as a ‘Local Member’. Some can-didates are called “independents” while others represent a political party.

‘List Members’ are candidates from any registered political party. Before an election each political party prepares an ordered list of candidates they would like considered as ‘List Members’.

These lists, and the way they are cre-ated, would be made public well in ad-vance of any election in a Mixed Member Proportional system.

Here are some common questions being asked about the referendum:

What is a referendum?A referendum is an event when the

government asks voters an important question. All voters are asked to indicate which choice they prefer, using a ballot.When is the referendum being held?

The next provincial election will hap-pen on October 10, 2007. A referendum will be held at the same time.Can I vote in the referendum but not vote for an election candidate?

Yes.Can I vote for an election candidate but not vote in the referendum?

Yes.

Are there other provinces within Canada that use the Mixed Member Proportional System?

A Mixed Member Proportional system is not used by any other province. The Mixed Member Pro-portional system recommended by the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly is one type of Mixed Member Pro-portional system. In Canada, it would be unique to Ontario, but types of Mixed Member Proportional systems are used in other places around the world.What happens if I vote for First-Past-the-Post or the alternative electoral system?

If at least 60% of all the referendum ballots across the province choose the alternative system recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly AND 50% of the voters in at least 64 electoral districts vote for Mixed Member Proportional, then the Mixed Member Proportional system would be put forward as Ontario’s electoral system in future. By December 31st, 2008, the new government would have to introduce a law to officially make Mixed Member Proportional Ontario’s

new system. If this does not happen, On-tario will keep using the same system used now to elect members to the pro-vincial legislature (First-Past-the-Post).Do I qualify to vote in the referendum?

To vote in the referendum, you must be 18 years of age or older, and a Cana-dian Citizen, and a resident of Ontario.

The Ontario Federation of Labour and the Toronto and York Labour council both are in favour of Mixed Member Pro-portional:

For more information and balance please visit these sites:

Favour for Mixed Member Propor-tional: Site for www.voteyesformmp.ca

Not In Favour for Mixed Member Proportional: www.nommp.ca

For official explanation: www.your bigdecision.ca

Electoral Reform

28

Just around the corner from Station 443 where he had served as Captain for the last seven years, family, friends, and co-workers gathered at Etobicoke’s Islington United Church to celebrate the life and Last Alarm of Captain John A. Chappelle.

Captain Chappelle valiantly served the former Etobicoke Fire Department and the Toronto Fire Services for 27 years. Sadly, he was diagnosed with brain can-cer (glioblastoma) and after a ten month battle, died on September 5th, at 53 years of age, leaving behind his wife and soul mate, Jayne, and daughter Alyson.

Captain Chappelle’s death from brain cancer has been recognized by the WSIB Occupational Disease Unit after a stan-dard medical review and a review of the documented exposures to dangerous sub-stances during his career as a fire fighter.

As pumper 443 sat outside the church at his funeral on September 10th, indi-viduals who had shared in his life, ex-pressed their thoughts on the many hap-py years he spent with his family and on his career as a professional fire fighter. The church was tightly packed with more than 500 mourners, with an exceptional turnout by Toronto, Mississauga, Guelph, Vaughan, Kitchener and London Fire Fighters who filled every available pew and even spilled out into the reserve hall at the rear of the church. Friends remem-bered him as friendly and full of life, often with a twinkle in his eyes, framed by bushy eyebrows. He was recalled as having lived his life to the fullest; skiing, curling, golfing, swimming, and even studying art history, which was a passion he shared with Jayne. When asked by a

BY MARLA FRIEBE, TFS INFORMATION SECTION

“John was an ageless man, a generous soul, with an open ear and a warm heart.”

LODDLODD

Captain John A. Chappelle

1954-2007

Toronto Line of Duty Death


fellow university student and good friend as to why he was studying art history when he already enjoyed a successful career as a fire fighter, John responded, “I want to have something to talk about with my wife in our retirement years!” Compassionate, caring, and devoted to his wife and daughter, friends comment-ed that John was the kind of friend that, “the longer you knew him, the better the friendship got—like aging scotch.”

Fellow fire fighter and crew member, John Getty, recalled how in the thick of one fire they had fought, Captain Chap-pelle was there to guide him and provide support. During this apartment fire, vis-ibility was hampered by the thick black smoke and Fire Fighter Getty called out to him, “Where are you, John?” “Over here,” he replied. “I felt him pat me on

the back,” stated Getty. “I hope he’s re-ceiving that same support now.”

During the ceremony, John’s wife, Jayne, was presented with the Medal of Honour for death in the line of duty, by Local 3888 President, Scott Marks. To-ronto Fire Chief, William Stewart, also presented Jayne with a folded Canadian flag that had been draped over her hus-band’s casket. The church was silent as the mourners listened to John’s nephew, who was visiting from Ireland, play a guitar and sing the vocal version of Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up, while his niece later performed a separate violin solo of Ashokan Farewell, a Scottish style lament.

The celebration concluded with the ringing of the bell three times, marking the end of the fire and a return to the

station, as well as the Fire Fighter’s Prayer, read by Chaplain Ron Nickle. At the end of the ceremony, everyone re-cessed from the Church and gathered outside where the body of Captain Chap-pelle was raised aboard Pumper 443 for his final alarm, while the Toronto War Veterans’ Colour Guard stood at arms and the Toronto Pipes and Drums Band played Amazing Grace. The contingent proceeded through a double line of senior officers and fire fighters, while a huge Canadian flag blew in the wind in the background, hoisted high between two aerials. A finer send-off could not be imagined.

Farewell, Brother John Chappelle… your duties well done, your last alarm completed, you are now going home.

Captain John A. Chappelle

1954-2007

Toronto Line of Duty Death

On August 19th, the Stacey Centre hosted their annual Open House but with a new addition—The Toronto Professional Fire Fighter’s Association. This was the event at which the Asso-ciation announced our affiliation with the Stacey Centre to both the Commu-nity and Media. Joining us was Liberal MPP Mary Anne Chambers. On hand, we had TFS Fire Apparatus C21, RP214 and A215, along with the respective B Platoon crews, the TPFFA inflatable bouncer for the kids and our BBQ and popcorn machine. In addition, we sold the “Support our Troops” stickers and T-shirts, with all the proceeds going

Early in August, Union Notice 07-043 announced the Association’s affiliation with the Tony Stacey

Centre for Veteran’s Care. This Centre allows Canada’s war veterans to spend their golden years with their spouses and comrades in a unique, dignified, home-like environment.

There was a time when many involved with the Centre wondered if the facility would close down, as the number of aging veterans dwindled with time. However, with the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, coupled with Canada’s ever increasing involvement and the resulting casualties, there will be a

need to provide housing for these modern day “peace keepers” just as was required after the conflicts in WWI, WWII and Korea.

Our Association was first approached by “fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facil-ity, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly.

There was a time when many involved with the Centre wondered if the facility would close down, as the number of aging veterans dwindled with time.

Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer

ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-

a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been

jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd

first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was

to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was fito the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was

any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-




to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was fito the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was

Tony Stacey Centre for Veteran’s CareBY RICK BERENZ, LOCAL 3888 EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICER

30


directly to the Centre from the TPFFA. On that day, $545.00 was presented to the Stacey Centre from these sales.

The “Support our Troops” T-shirts and stickers are available for sale at the union office. All the proceeds from these sales will be directed to the Tony Stacey Centre. Please do your part and purchase one or both.

The TPFFA has committed to assist the Tony Stacey Centre with both funding initiatives and by providing volunteers from our Membership to do various jobs within the facility that the Centre does not have the funds to complete.

Our first project was sanding and painting an aluminum fence that surrounds a grassy area under the shade of trees. With the assistance of three Executive Officers, one retired member and one active member, we were able to complete this task in short order. The next project will require much more time and effort. The intent is to convert the enclosed grassy area into a sitting area, complete with gardens and leveled with patio stones. Wheel chair access to the area today is impossible since the ground is very uneven and thus unsafe. For this project we will need much more assistance and I will put out the call for volunteers when we have been able to secure the required materials by soliciting businesses for these donations.

As professional fire fighters, I believe there is a direct connection between our profession and that of our Canadian Peace Keepers. The Veterans presently living at the Tony Stacey Centre sacri-

ficed much, and at a very young age when the call went out. Today’s Peace Keepers are presented with a very dif-ferent world. Over 100,000 Canadian men and women stand ready to answer when called. The Tony Stacey Centre, with its mission to serve veterans as they have served us, exists to ensure that this country will always be able to respond in kind.

At some point in time in their lives, today’s Peace Keepers may need to rely

on a facility like the Tony Stacey Centre to provide them with a home. Today, the Centre needs help in assuring that the legacy started back in 1976, when the doors of the Centre first opened and welcomed its first 14 residents, is continued.

Helping the Veterans is a very rewarding experience and they greatly appreciate the TPFFA’s involvement. Please find some time for the Tony Stacey Centre.

There was a time when many involved with the Centre wondered if the facility would close down, as the number of aging veterans dwindled with time.

Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer

ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-




to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance

any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-ing the facility, it was easy for us to recognize their needs and we responded accordingly. Our Association was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and tour-




to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance to the Centre since it is in need of both funding and man hours for the numerous odd jobs that need to be done. After meeting the Directors of the Stacey Centre and touring the facility, it was first approached by “ fire fighter friendly” Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who has been a strong political ally for the Stacey Centre. Dan asked if the TPFFA could offer any sort of assistance Tony Stacey Centre for Veteran’s Care

On October 10, 2006, seven Toronto Fire Fighters and two friends would soon have our physical and mental ability

tested as we ascended from Kilimanjaro base camp to the highest peak on the African continent!

The journey actually started on June 15, 2005 at the Toronto Fire Academy when people said I was crazy for having worked and lived in East and South Africa. They questioned my survival, as the television paints such an ugly picture of famine, tribal conflicts, crime and disease. I promised anyone who wanted to go to Africa and see for them-selves, that I would be more than happy to take them to see for themselves what the “bad, dark continent” has to offer; the greatness still out weighs the badness!

Eleven Toronto Fire Fighters and nine friends and family embarked on a two week safari through Kenya and

Tanzania, ending on the tropical Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. That is another story alto-gether! We said our farewells to all but sev-en Toronto Fire Fighters and two friends, as the nine of us would attempt to climb up the highest single mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro.

What was the big deal? Thou-sands of people have trekked and con-quered Kili in the past. What could we do for a little added challenge and a little incentive to get to the top? How about for a little added difficulty, we do it in fire fighting bunker gear? And for a little added incentive to push us higher, let’s get pledges and raise money for a very worthwhile cause—Camp Bucko! So, with the help of Debbie Higgins and Scott Andrews, we were off to fire

station 223 to get sized up with decom-missioned bunker gear.

We were all out soliciting pledges from family and fellow firefighters. We kept it fairly low key as we wanted to help out Camp Bucko but not be han-dling huge amounts of money at the same time. We decided on Camp Bucko to be the recipient of our funds because

BY PATRICK HAYTER, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTER, STATION 333

Camp BUCKOCamp BUCKOCamp BUCKOKilimanjaro Climb for

32

we talked to people who had volunteered at the camp and told us how important Bucko is to these children from all over the province. We also knew some of the directors and their enthusiasm and pas-sion for the camp was infectious and inspirational to all of us.

I still remember the nervous energy as we drove north from Dar es Salaam with the large silhouette of Kili looming in the afternoon light getting closer and closer. Finally, we were at the last vil-lage before base camp, where we would try and get some rest before our team’s deployment to the gates of the Kiliman-jaro National Park where our trek to the roof of Africa would begin!

We were told that our team of four guides, eight cook staff and ten porters, all from the villages at the base of this dormant volcano would meet us at 8:00am—we saw them just before noon! “Hakuna Matata,” they would say with their huge African smiles; “No hurries in Afreeeka, you are on Africa time now.” “Africa time” is usually much later than the originally set time and is never any earlier. It can be frustrating but you get used to it.

Finally we were on a matatu (small bus) and heading with our sleeping bags and bunker gear to the base camp. We

paid our $520.00 USD each in park fees and off we went through lush green jungle to our first night stop. We took the Marangu route, the most popular route. Our first night stop was at 2,700 meters named Mandara Hut. Everyone was in good spirits and feeling healthy. The only problem encountered so far were the Colombus monkeys harassing the cooks!

The next day, our goal was Horombo Hut at 3,700 meters. We left the tropical jungle behind and entered a zone of gi-ant heather and moorland. Starting to feel the affects of altitude, headaches and clumsiness were creeping up on the group. “Pole Pole” and “Pole Sana” were heard every few minutes from the guides, it means “slowly, slowly” in Swahili.

The next day, it was up to Kibo Hut at 4,700 meters—this is where all vegeta-tion ceases and it is just a baron land above the clouds. Now affecting us were severe headaches, difficulty breathing, nausea, and tired sore mus-cles. There was less walking and more shuffling amongst the group. Finally at Kibo Hut; a bowl of soup and some crackers—if you could keep them down. Then a short nap until 11:30pm (5 hours after arriving at Kibo.) We were to start our summit bid at midnight and climb

to Gilmans Point of 5,680 meters for sunrise. Even the people on altitude medication were in the same boat as the rest of us; in the freezing cold and blowing wind you could hear the faint sounds of dry heaves and splatter. The pain in your legs was enough to make you wince. It was at this point where we regretted the extra weight of our otherwise warm bunker gear. Our legs burned so bad because you would take one step up and then sink down in the volcanic scree; we didn’t seem to make any head way at all. We all gave it our best and fought through the pain as best as we could. Personally, I don’t even remember getting close to the top; I only have photographic evidence. We all survived and no one was carried down in a stretcher. Two days to get back down and everyone felt so much better with every meter of descent. Back at the hotel, we had what we all agreed was the best tasting beer we ever had the pleasure of drinking.

Next it was off to Nairobi, Kenya to meet with our scheduled visit to Nairobi Fire Headquarters to give them our cleaned bunker gear. As we were swing-ing the truck in to the tight lane way at Headquarters a minibus whisked up the blind side of the truck and I turned

Camp BUCKOKilimanjaro Climb for

We decided on Camp Bucko to be the recipient of our funds because we talked to people who had volunteered at the camp and told us how

important Bucko is to these children from all over the province.

FALL 2007 | FIRE WATCH 33

34

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right into it smashing all the glass out of the side windows and basically pushed the whole side of the bus in. This is not a good thing to have happen in a very seedy part of town, which drew a crowd of hundreds. Thankfully, no one was in-jured. Thank you to Aerial 125 Captain, Jim Dowling, for his negotiating skill and patience!

Thank you as well to the Toronto Fire Services staff and fire fighters who kind-ly donated money for Camp Bucko to the climbers, who did an amazing job of raising just under $6000.00 for Bucko!

The seven Toronto Fire Fighters who did the climb were:

JASON BODI 333JIM DOWLING 125JEN MILLER 113TONY BUONFIGLIO 116ROB PATTERSON 322CHRIS COSTANTE 333PAT HAYTER 333

The climb was a great physical and mental challenge but the real challenge would come in August at Kinark Out-door Center where Camp Bucko was be-ing held. From the orientation weekend, I had a bit of an idea of what to expect at camp. I was still quite nervous however, as I don’t have any children of my own. Advice from former volunteers was, “You won’t have time to be nervous. Once those kids step off the bus, it is full-on just have fun...it is camp you know!”

Well, all those wise people were right on the mark; it was go, go, go right from the start.

The first night at the opening camp fire, some of the kids came up to the front of the crowd and grabbed a stick they call a “talking stick.” When they were holding the stick, they could say anything they felt like saying. One little boy came up and said thank you to all the volunteers and how awesome this camp is. Then, one after the other, kids came up and spilled their heart out on how great Camp Bucko is and the fact that it is the best week of their year. One little 6 year old girl wrote the most amazing song I have ever heard, about how everyone is beautiful and beauty is only skin deep. She played her guitar

and sang the whole song in front of ev-eryone at closing campfire; it was some-thing that everyone should listen to—absolutely unforgettable!

It was a week of outdoor adventure; a carnival, a dance and a great talent show, full of performances by each cab-in. I learned a lot during the week I was there. The learning curve is very steep but BUCKO has a great support system and the councilors who keep going back year-after-year are more than happy to guide you. The kids at this camp are so courageous and so full of character that sometimes you forget they may have physical limitations. Their personality and their enthusiasm for life make you completely forget it.

This camp is not a want for these kids who stare adversity in the face every-day; it is a need! A need, for one week of the year, where they can be around lots of other kids and not have to worry about their scars or about being teased or questioned. A need, for one week of the year, to just have fun and be a kid.

I cannot think of a more worthwhile charity to support, right here in our own backyard. I will never forget my first Camp Bucko week.

For the next challenge, wherever that may be...Bucko will be my inspiration!

Kilimanjaro Climb for Camp BUCKO ... Continued from page 33


36

Experience categories set out the pre-ferred makeup of an apparatus; one captain, one acting captain, a fire fighter greater than 10 years, one 6-10 years and one 0-5 years. No one is ever moved or reassigned to meet this makeup, but when vacancies are created the makeup of the crew is reviewed and the empty categories become available.

SOME BASIC RULES APPLY TO FILL-ING THE VACANCY BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE CATEGORY. THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• An experience category is assigned to the vacancy. There may be more than one experience category assigned to a single vacancy. Example - An apparatus has a captain, an a/c, and 2 fire fighters over ten years. This vacancy would be listed as having the 0-5 and 6-10 experi-ence categories open.

• The most senior fire fighter within the open experience category(s) will be as-signed to fill the vacancy.

• If no one from the open experience cat-egory requests the vacancy, then it will be assigned to the senior most person that has requested the position.*

The one exception to the above rule is where a 0-5 vacancy has been designated for an employee with 0-5 years and/or a recruit. The department is allowed to

Article 45 – Requests for TransfersTHIS ARTICLE OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT WAS MODIFIED IN THE LAST MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT. WE WILL HIGHLIGHT THOSE CHANGES (RED WRITING) AS WELL AS REVIEW THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.

designate five positions in each command (for a total of twenty (20) over the four platoons) that can only be filled by a 0-5 person. Therefore, if a vacancy occurs in the 0-5 category and the department des-ignates that vacancy, then even if no one in the 0-5 category requests it, it will not be filled by more senior personnel requesting it. The department has the right to reserve those positions for 0-5 personnel. These spots are not specifically reserved for re-cruits. If a 0-5 person requests it they will get it and the department can then move their designation to another apparatus that has a 0-5 vacancy.

Cross command transfers are now filled on a quarterly basis, prior to the placement of recruits and when promo-tions are done. Transfers in command are always done before the cross command transfers are administered. So a vacancy at a specific location may not be available to you if you are coming cross command and someone in the command has already requested it. You could be more senior to that person in the experience category of the vacancy but the person in command will be placed first and the cross com-mand transfers are done after.Example - A vacancy in the 10-15 cate-gory exists on P324. A fire fighter with 11 years from A312 has put in a request for P324 and a fire fighter with 24 years from

P426 has put in a request for south com-mand with a preference listed for station 324. The fire fighter from A312 will go to P324 and the fire fighter from P426 will be moved to A312.

SOME OF THE OTHER BASIC RULES APPLYING TO CROSS COMMAND TRANSFERS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• You can request a specific platoon(s) you wish to be transferred to. If the vacancy is not on the platoon that you requested then you will not be trans-ferred. You can specify more then one platoon.

• You cannot specify a specific location or apparatus. You may state your prefer-ence for a station or apparatus. If there are two or more apparatus that have a vacancy in your experience category they will place you on your preference. However, if the vacancy exists in the command you want, on the platoon you have requested, you will be transferred, even if it is not to your preferred loca-tion. There is no requirement to put a preferred location on your request.

• If you are promoted into another com-mand you have a preference to return to your former command. You must file your transfer request within thirty (30) days of being promoted and you will be transferred back once a vacancy

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

REVIEW


is available. The transfer request must state that you are applying your prefer-ence based on being promoted outside of command. The preference to return overrides someone else that is senior. There may be other people with a simi-lar priority to return and you will re-turn based on the order that you were promoted. Example – An acting cap-tain from west command is promoted and assigned to Station 114. S/he fi les a transfer request within the thirty days, requesting to return to west com-mand. A vacancy opens at Station 415. The captain with the preference will be transferred even though there may be a captain with more seniority requesting to go to West command. When utiliz-ing your preference you do not have a choice of apparatus or platoon. If you do not put your request in within thirty days of being promoted, or remove your transfer request, or put in a new request to another location in any of the other commands, you loose your entitlement to the preference.

• Being moved into a permanent acting position is NOT a promotion. There-fore, personnel are not entitled to the preference.

• When two acting personnel have the same start date and both want to re-turn to the same command or request the same apparatus in command, place-ment on promotional list will set the order. For non-acting personnel that have the same start date the decision is made by a toss of the coin.

• Personnel being assigned a permanent acting spot get the vacancy left over af-ter all in command transfers and cross command transfers of acting personnel are done. This applies the same to a person being promoted.

• Example - Bob, Bill and Frank - all from the same class of 89 - Bob and Bill are A/C’s in south but want to go North - a vacancy comes open in north. Frank

is next on the list to be picked up and is currently a fi re fi ghter in North. Bob fi nished ahead of Bill on the Captains process and thus would get the position in North - Frank goes South to fi ll the resulting vacancy.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER A FEW BASIC RULES THAT APPLY TO ALL TRANSFERS. THEY ARE:

• Transfer requests are kept on fi le un-til December 31 of the year following when you put the request in. Exam-ple – One fi re fi ghter puts in a request on March 3, 2007. Another fi re fi ghter puts in a request on December 27, 2007. Both requests remain active and on fi le until December 31, 2008.

• You may only have one transfer request on fi le at a time. Putting in a second request will automatically negate your earlier request including preference requests.

• When two Fire Fighters mutually agree to a transfer, they will assume the vacation and lieu day schedule of the person they replace. Mutual transfers between fi re fi ghters will only be ap-proved if the fi re fi ghters’ seniority is within fi ve years of each other. For mutually agreed upon transfers, in the event one of the parties retires, resigns, transfers between divisions, is promot-ed or attains an acting position within twelve (12) months of the transfer the other party will be transferred back to their original location.

• You do not have the right to turn down a transfer that has been made based on a valid transfer request being on fi le

• If you change your mind about a trans-fer request that you have put in. Send a memo or letter asking that the trans-fer request be rescinded.

• Transfer requests must be submitted twenty-eight (28) days prior to the Monday of the week of the effective date of the transfer.

• Any fulfi lled request for transfer (in-cluding mutual’s) to the following iden-tifi ed apparatus (towers, squads, heavy hazmat) will be for a period of 2 years before another transfer request can be submitted, with the exception of a transfer request to the crew rotation apparatus in the same station.

• Any fulfi lled request for transfer (in-cluding mutual’s) to apparatus other than apparatus identifi ed above will be for a period of 1 year before another transfer request can be submitted, with the exception of a transfer re-quest to the crew rotation apparatus in the same station.

Note: With the exception of cross com-mand transfers (which includes prior-ity to return after promotion), all other transfers that meet the requirements of the transfer request will be considered as fulfi lled request for transfer and the preceding rules will apply. You must re-quest the transfer for the restriction to apply.

A good rule to follow is; if there is a lo-cation in your command that you wish to work at, put in a request even when there is no vacancy. Then you are assured that if a vacancy is created you will have your request in on time. Another good rule is; if there is a specifi c location in another command that you want, put in a request to get to that command a.s.a.p. Once in the appropriate command you will get the vacancy over anyone from another command provided you meet the experi-ence category. New transfer language trying to mirror

the operation language was also devel-oped for Fire Prevention, Communication and Quartermaster Section and Mechani-cal Division. As always, if you are not sure of the rules when fi ling a transfer request, contact a member of the Executive Board for assistance.

A GOOD RULE TO FOLLOW IS; IF THERE IS A LOCATION IN YOUR COMMAND THAT YOU WISHTO WORK AT, PUT IN A REQUEST EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO VACANCY. THEN YOU ARE ASSURED THAT IF A VACANCY IS CREATED YOU WILL HAVE YOUR REQUEST IN ON TIME.

38

The association gets many calls and questions as to an individuals’ options when leaving employment

as it pertains to their pension. OMERS has seven choices that you may exercise and I will describe each option.

OPTION #1: YOU OPT TO RETIREYour normal retirement age is 60. You can retire within 10 years of your normal retirement age regardless of how much service you have.

OPTION #2: CONTINUED OMERS MEMBERSHIPIf you go to work for another OMERS employer anywhere in Ontario, you may elect to continue your OMERS membership with your new employer.

OPTION #3: TRANSFERRING CREDITED SERVICEIf your new employer is another Canadian public sector employer, you may be able to transfer all or part of your OMERS credited service to your new employer’s plan. (OMERS currently have transfer agreements with a number of Canadian public sector plans, this list can be viewed on the OMERS website on the online version of the members’ handbook)

OPTION #4: KEEPING PENSION WITH OMERSIf your new employer is not part of OMERS, you can keep your pension with OMERS as a deferred pension. Keeping your pension with OMERS gives you a future stream of OMERS retirement income for life. Your OMERS pension is infl ation protected, and includes early retirement options and survivor benefi ts.

OPTION #5: CASH REFUND (IF BENEFIT IS NOT LOCKED IN)You may elect a cash refund of any portion of your total contributions plus interest to your termination date, that is not locked in (see note- “When does my pension benefi t become locked-in?”). You may also be able to transfer the cash refund to your RRSP.

NOTE- When does my pension benefi t become “locked in”?

Under Ontario law, when your OMERS pension is locked in, you must use it as future retirement income. You cannot cash it out, except in very rare cases.

Locking-in rules

• Your pension benefi t earned after December 31, 1986, becomes locked in when you have two years of OMERS membership (including any service you purchased or transferred into OMERS).

• Your pension benefi t earned before 1987 becomes locked in when you reach age 45 and have at least:

o 10 years of service with your current OMERS employer; or

o 10 years of OMERS membership; or

o 10 years of OMERS credited service.

Any portion of your OMERS pension benefi t that is locked in cannot be cashed out. If you leave your employer, your pension must:

• stay in the OMERS plan as a deferred pension;

• be transferred to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA);

• be transferred to another approved pension plan; or

• be used to purchase an annuity (available through an insurance company—it provides regular income payments to you upon retirement).

OPTION #6: TRANSFERRING COMMUTED VALUEIf you are within 10 years of your normal retirement age, this transfer option does not apply.

You may choose to transfer the commuted (present day) value of your OMERS pension: into a locked-in retirement account (LIRA)—this is done as a lump-sum payment to your fi nancial institution;

BY FRANK RAMAGNANO, OPFFA PENSION COMMITTEE MEMBER

Your Pension Options When Leaving Employment

or to an insurance company to purchase an annuity (provides regular income payments to you upon retirement); or to another pension plan that can accept the transfer. With any choice, you end your OMERS membership. If you transfer your commuted value into a LIRA, you also assume all responsibility and risk for the investment of this lump-sum amount. The commuted value of a pension is the amount of money that must be put aside today to grow with investment earnings to provide your pension at a future date.

Notes:

- “50% Rule”—If the contributions you have made since January 1, 1987, plus interest, are greater than 50% of the commuted value amount, OMERS refunds the excess to you.

- “Pre-1987 test”—If the contributions you have made before January 1, 1987, plus interest, are greater than the commuted value for the same period, OMERS will increase the value of your pension to make up the difference.

- The Income Tax Act limits the amount that may be transferred on a tax-sheltered basis to your locked-in retirement account. If this limit applies, OMERS will send you a cheque for the excess amount, which you may be able to transfer into your RRSP, or take in cash (which is taxable). (Note B)

- If you leave your employer in 2007 and your annual deferred pension is less than 2% of the 2007 Canada Pension Plan earnings ceiling of $43,700, you may take the commuted (present-day) value of your benefi t as a cash refund or transfer it to your RRSP.

Note B Income Tax Act And Regulations

Any transfer from a defi ned benefi t provision of a registered pension plan must be in accordance with subsection 147.3(4) of the Income Tax Act.

The necessary conditions are:a) the amount does not relate to an actuarial surplus,

b) the amount is transferred on behalf of a member in full or partial satisfaction of

benefi ts to which the member is entitled, either absolutely or contingently, under a defi ned benefi t provision of the plan as registered,

c) the amount does not exceed a pre-scribed amount (as specifi ed in Income Tax Regulation 8517); and

d) the amount is transferred directly to

i) a money purchase provision of a registered pension plan,

ii) a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), or

iii) a registered retirement income fund (RRIF).

Subsection 147.3(4) is applicable to trans-fers occurring after 1988 except that the direct transfer to a RRIF as outlined in d) iii) above was not available until August 30, 1990.

Maximum Transfer Amount

The maximum transfer amount is pre-scribed in Income Tax Regulation 8517 by the formula A x B: where

A is the amount of the individual’s lifetime retirement benefi ts under the defi ned benefi t provision commuted in connection with the transfer, and

B is the present value factor that corresponds to the age attained by the individual at the time of the transfer, determined pursuant to the Income Tax table. Here is the fi gure that applies to 3888 members:

Attained Age Value Factor

Under 50 9.0

For non-integral ages, the present value factor is to be determined by interpola-tion. The amount of lifetime retirement benefi ts is an annual amount which is determined as a “normalized” pension by making minor technical adjustments with respect to features such as form of pen-sion, pension commencement date, early retirement reduction, etc. as described in Income Tax Regulation 8517.


��

YOUR SCBATHE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSEAGAINST TOXIC EXPOSURE.

Originally developed by: Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, The Fire Fighters’ Association of Ontario, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Municipal Health and Safety Association, Ontario Section 21 Committee, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).© 2006, WSIB – all rights reserved. Printed in Canada. #5066A (07/06). To order posters, contact WSIB: 1-800-663-6639, or WSIB Marketing: 1-800-387-0750 / 5540 (Outside Ontario / Canada).

When you wear your SCBA, you’re protecting yourself from exposure to toxic chemicals that can kill you. You’re also protecting the people who care about you from pain and suffering. Wear it for yourself. Wear it for the ones you love.

FALL 2007 | FIRE WATCH 41

Example:

Assume a plan member is 49 years old and the annual retirement pension earned would be $32 900. The “value factor” for a 49 year old is “9”. The maximum transfer value therefore be $32 900 x 9 = $296 100. If the commuted value of the pension was $800 000, then only $296 100 could be transferred to a locked in plan. The excess amount of $503 900 would be paid to the plan member as a taxable benefi t. A portion of this excess amount could be tax-sheltered only if the member had RRSP carry-forward room available.

Comments:

Under most circumstances, the com-muted value of a defi ned benefi t pension amount is calculated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ (CIA) Recommendations For The Computation Of Transfer Values From Registered Pen-sion Plans.

Since there is no similar maximum transfer rule applicable to transfers be-tween two defi ned benefi t provisions, it has been suggested by some pension practitioners that implementing another defi ned benefi t plan through a pension plan member’s own incorporated compa-ny will circumvent the maximum transfer rule. We will explore that in option # 7.

OPTION #7: TRANSFERRING COMMUTED VALUE TO AN INDEPENDENT PENSION PLAN- Individual establishes a private corporation.

- The individual is “hired” by the corpo-ration and the corporation sponsors an IPP for the individual that recognizes the prior service under the public sector pension plan.

- Actuaries required to set up plan and fi le documents.

- The corporation registers a defi ned benefi t Individual Pension Plan (IPP) with

the provincial pension authority and with Canadian Revenue Agency.

- Once the IPP is established the full commuted value of the individual’s prior pension is transferred to the IPP.

- The IPP provides pension benefi ts based on the individual’s service with the former employer.

- The commuted value transfer, funds the cost of the IPP benefi ts.

Since the commuted value is being transferred from one defi ned benefi t pension plan to another, the maximum transfer value rule would not normally apply. The individual would still be able to commute his/her pension plan benefi ts, but would have no immediate tax consequences.

The key considerations would then be:

- does the benefi t of the additional tax deferral achieved by such a maneuver justify the costs of implementing and maintaining a plan?

- is the company going to be generating suffi cient revenue for the member to be paid an employment income and for the company to make ongoing pension con-tributions? Canada Revenue Agency may decline registration of the new plan if it is perceived to be a “shell” plan. (Rule of thumb; is the new established company making greater revenue then the individ-uals past employment)

The plan registration is subject to re-view post-registration (e.g. after 2 years) to determine whether primary purpose fulfi lled/maintained.

❏ Primary purposes of a RPP is to provide retirement benefi ts to individuals in re-spect of their service as employees. If not for this reason, then registration denied.

❏ CRA looks at legitimacy of the employee/employer relationship: if missing then primary purpose is not met and plan is considered only to be set up for tax deferral purposes—no registration.

❏ Even if employee/employer relationship does exist, then arrangements may still contravene ITA rules.

❏ IPP can only base benefi ts on actual earnings. If earnings are signifi cantly lower than basis of benefi ts determined by prior plan, then benefi t in respect of service reduced substantially.

❏ If benefi ts reduced, a large surplus is generated on forgone benefi ts.

❏ CRA sees this as failing primary purposes test since plan holds primary surplus and the transfer clearly set up only achieve tax deferral.

Failing Primary purpose plan’s reg-istered status can be revoked as of the original effect date. All the assets of the plan would become taxable. There have been warnings in regards to IPP’s from two government agencies. Financial Ser-vices Commission of Ontario is aware that the CRA is concerned that transfers from registered pension plans to IPP’s may not always comply with federal In-come Tax (ITA). They are concerned that some transfers to IPP’s do not satisfy the requirement under the Ontario Pension Benefi ts Act (PBA) that amounts trans-ferred must be administered as a pension or deferred pension. This means that the eventual payment from the IPP must be made only in the form of a pension. Mon-ey that should be paid as a pension must not become surplus and subsequently be paid out in cash.

Members considering any of the above options should obtain independent legal and fi nancial advice. We have placed rel-evant information on this topic plus links to various articles and agencies under the pension tab.

Your Pensions Options When Leaving Employment ... Continued from page 39

42

to her, such as lobby control, elevator control, RIT, the ventilation officer, the attack officer, the water officer, entry control, search and rescue, the liaison officer, etc. This all seems to be second nature to fire fighters, but to the public, we just think a bunch of guys show up in heavy gear with hoses and attack a fire by spraying water. We don’t realize how much planning, organization, and accountability goes into each and every call. If only private business would do the same!

As well, I don’t believe that the public has any idea as to how hot and heavy the bunker gear can be on a hot summer day,

BY MICHAEL SHUSTER, CIVILIAN

Have you ever wondered what the public really thinks about the work that you do? Do they think

it’s easy or difficult, fun or stressful, ex-citing or boring, rewarding or unfulfill-ing? This civilian is about to highlight the differences between your reality…and the public’s perception.

As a specialist in helping private busi-nesses assess and improve their levels of customer service, the Co-Editor of Fire Watch, Frank Ramagnano, asked if it was possible to assess what the public really thinks of the service that fire fighters provide. Equally intrigued with the idea, I suggested that the most informative, yet cost effective way to investigate, would be to spend a day in the life of a fire fighter; and so began my education.

I’ve often felt that the largest cause of failure in business is the lack of adher-ence to processes. Processes have been proven over time and if employees would just follow them, customers would re-ceive much better service. As a fire fighter, you don’t have the option to de-viate from the systems that are in place; people’s lives are at stake.

I was so pumped (pardon the pun)

once I returned home from my day as a fire fighter, that I told my wife all about my experiences. I was describing a sec-ond alarm fire that we responded to, while she was viewing a few photos of the twelve or more fire vehicles that lined the street. Her first question was, “When all of the fire trucks and all of those fire fighters arrive, how do they each know what their role is?” What an excellent question! I explained the dif-ferent Incident Management Systems and roles that I had learned about during the day. On the particular call mentioned above, our truck was assigned as the RIT team. I explained the different roles

What The Public Really Thinks!

Your JOB as a FIRE FIGHTER


especially in the midst of a fire. During our first fire of the day, I perspired more than I do after an entire week of workouts at the gym—combined. There is also little public knowledge about the care and effort that goes into maintaining simple equipment such as a fire hose. I had no idea prior to this experience that they must be cleaned & dried thoroughly after every call or else the resulting acid in the rubber jacket will eventually destroy them.

My next reality check came during our response to a basement fire in a house. We (the public) can’t imagine what it is like for a fire fighter to enter a house where the entire floor plan is completely unknown, and then to proceed through black smoke and total darkness in order to locate the fire, without seeing stairs, holes in the floor, or other very danger-ous conditions and hazards. In this par-ticular case, the fire was in the basement and there was only one staircase leading down to it. If the fire should affect the integrity of the staircase, any fire fighter on the stairs could potentially fall to in-jury or death without expecting it. One fire fighter described it to me as starting at the top of a chimney and going down the chimney to fight a fire. I thought that was a great analogy—and a very scary one at that!

I’ve seen the Jaws of Life in movies and during a demonstration by my local fire department at a seasonal public event. Aside from the risk of speeding cars on the side of the highway, I would never have imagined the amount of plan-ning that goes into how the vehicle will be opened in order to allow for the easy and safe removal of the victim(s) inside. Furthermore, in order to complete the extraction in a timely fashion, the fire fighters I observed seemed to know how each and every vehicle was assembled; as if they were the original manufactur-er. I learned about deactivating un-de-ployed airbags and how to cut the frame of a car while avoiding cutting through certain things that might not be easy to

Ask any of your friends or family if they like their bosses. Chances are, if they say “yes”, their boss is not very strict and gives them too much autonomy. If they say “no”, their boss is too strict and doesn’t make their job rewarding enough for them. What I witnessed during my day as a fire fighter, was a Captain (Dan) who exemplified the ideal ‘leader’. He took command, gave his team direction, and in times of need, was strict and in control. Yet when warranted, he knew how to have fun with his team and help them to enjoy their jobs and enjoy coming to work for him every day.

In case I haven’t made my opinion obvious by now, I think the team I worked with (Frank, Vince, and Mark) did an awesome job, under the superb leader-ship of their captain Dan.

cut through. The public has no idea that all of these details are taken into account by fire fighters on every call.

As a sales trainer, I’ve often asked cli-ents if their store managers recap their strategies or action plans with employ-ees before every shift. They look at me as if I fell off a spaceship. Their response is always, “If these people don’t know what they’re supposed to do by now, then they should be fired!” I think, as a five-year veteran of the Toronto Fire Ser-vices—as two of the guys on the appara-tus were—you should also know what is required. Yet, what really impressed me, was that on-route to each call, the Captain summarized the circumstances that the team was responding to and reminded them of what to look for, what to be careful of, how to prepare for cer-tain things, and how to respond upon arrival. I’m sure they knew this stuff but recapping the details only ensures that everyone is working in sync towards a mutual goal, and in the most effective manner possible.

Is fire fighting hard work? We did have a busier day than usual at the hall but when I returned home I was exhausted. I never considered having to wear the heavy bunker gear, carry equipment to fire scenes, or run up seven flights of stairs with all of this stuff during a high rise fire; which alone was a workout-and-a-half for me.

Many employers think that new hires simply need a brief period of training and then they are ready to show up for work, day after day, and do a great job, without managers ever doing their part to help their team improve and develop. If that were the case for fire fighters, people’s lives would be at stake. I was very im-pressed to witness the ongoing training that fire fighters are continually involved in. During my single shift as a fire fight-er, I attended a classroom briefing where the Captain reviewed possible scenarios with his team, as well as observing a fire fighter on the computer, completing on-line courses that were required of him.

Mikes’ calls for his 16 hour shift 12:38 First aid call13:01 High rise fi re, fi rst truck in, 2nd alarm15:07 Detached house basement fi re, 2nd alarm17:12 Car accident 40119:19 Low rise fi re, sent as RIT Team, 2nd alarm22:23 Car accident 40122:53 Domestic situation with multiple patients, pepper spray used

Your JOB as a FIRE FIGHTER

44

provided me with a TFS Local 3888 wreath to lay. I also spoke with a member of the TFS Colour Guard who gave me a good idea of what was involved in the laying of a wreath.

The overall tour was eleven days long and covered London, the Chunnel, Bel-gium, France, Vimy, Normandy (D-Day landings), Paris and Lucerne Switzerland. It was a whirlwind tour and most of the time spent in transit was nap time.

The first place that I wore my TFS uni-form was at the Menin Gate at Ypres in Flanders, Belgium. This place was incred-ible. It’s an arch that was opened in 1927. It lists the names of the fallen Common-wealth soldiers who died in this area dur-ing WW I and who were never found. There are 54,896 names inscribed there. From time to time the body of a soldier is unearthed and with a lot of forensic iden-tification work sometimes the individual can be identified.

This happened last year with two Ca-nadian soldiers. My understanding is that they managed to identify one of the men. They would then have a proper military funeral and the name would be removed form the Gate. Also every evening at

Iwent to Vimy, France with my fifteen year old son and some 40 other kids from Henry St. High School in Whitby.

This was part of a larger tour of some 5,000 students who travelled to Europe to attend the 90th anniversary of the World War I battle for Vimy Ridge, and to learn about what the Canadian soldiers did during the First and Second World Wars.

With a little persuasion, I convinced my dad, Ross, and my father-in-law, Ron Burgess, to come with us. I was glad that I did because neither of them had been overseas, and having them on-board add-ed a whole new dimension for the stu-

dents to consider; these gentlemen were going over to pay their respects as well and they are old.

All of the kids were great throughout the entire tour; they really impressed me. Also, another reason for making this a family affair was that my grandfather fought in WW I. According to my dad he never spoke about his experiences when he returned to Canada and when I was growing up, it was understood that we didn’t ask about it. Interestingly enough, for several years now my son had shown quite an interest in his late great grandfa-ther. He learned that he was a sapper or combat engineer. This was going to be a chance for three generations to say thanks to a fourth.

A few days before we left, I had a dis-cussion with the organizer of the tour. He’s a history teacher from Port Perry High School and he suggested that any-one who belonged to a uniform force would be welcome to wear their uniform and participate in the ceremony. With a bit of trepidation I contacted the TFS brass and the Union and with only a few days before departure, they kindly gave me permission to wear my uniform and

BY MIKE SNETSINGER, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTER, STATION 134A

Laying the TFS

Wreath at Vimy

2000 hrs, buglers from the local fire bri-gade shut down road that passes under-neath and they play the Last Post. With the exception of the German occupation in WW II, this ceremony has been going on there every evening since July 1928! These are folks who didn’t forget what our Commonwealth soldiers sacrificed.

The other location where I represented the TFS was at the Vimy Memorial. The place is huge. The land is a gift from the French in perpetuity to people of Canada and there are many areas that are off lim-its because there are still unexploded munitions in the ground. According to one museum, the area around France and Belgium where the battles took place are loaded with bombs. To this day, the military still have to deal with about 200 tons of old unexploded munitions from both wars every year. I imagine that these are found when excavating or they just work their way to the surface over time and farmers bump into them with their ploughs.

The actual wreath laying ceremony oc-cured at the Canadian Cemetery No. 2 before the rededication of the Vimy Me-morial. This is in the vicinity of the Me-morial. I lined up behind dozens of high school students with wreaths who were representing their schools and several Durham Regional Police officers. My dad on the left of me wearing his fathers dress cap and my son on my right carry-ing his great grandfathers medal on an

flying over. It was all quite something, but it was the memorial—and the thought behind it—that was really im-portant. Carved into the front of the memorial are the words:

To the valour of their Countrymen in the Great WarAnd in memory of their sixty Thousand deadthis monument Is raised by the people of Canada

I understand that several WW I veterans who later joined the Toronto Fire Department began an association so I know there is a direct and appropriate connection to laying the TFS wreath but I think most people, such as myself, know of relatives who fought during the wars or perhaps are overseas now.

For me, the wars were something in history books and on TV, but this trip made it very real. I think the one thing that I couldn’t get my head wrapped around are the numbers of fallen soldiers. They are huge. If you have a chance, go and tour the war monuments and the cemeteries in that part of Europe. It will be emotional and you can learn about what they did over there and then perhaps later, you’ll shake hands with a veteran. And don’t forget, I’m sure that that’s the last thing that they would want.

improvised red pillow. We looked good. When it was our time to lay the TFS wreath, we marched smartly up to the cenotaph, my dad and son stopped at a prearranged spot and I continued for-ward to place the wreath. I stepped back a pace or two and then snapped a salute which I held for several moments and then we all wheeled around like we had practiced (one of the students on our tour was with the cadets so he taught us how to do it) and we march out. That was about it for my part. There were veter-ans, bag pipes (one of pipers was retired from the TFD), dignitaries, speeches, students decked out in replica uniforms, families and tourists all there to see this part of the ceremony.

Later in the day was the rededication of the Vimy Memorial with all its pomp and ceremony. The Memorial is an in-credible structure. The scale is huge and the detail and carving is amazing. No wonder it took eleven years to build. I have done some travelling in the past and I’d have to say that this is one of the most impressive things that I’ve seen. I guess being a Canadian might have something to do with that. We had the Queen, Prime Minister Harper, the French President and some 5000 high school students marching down the road into the front of the Memorial like in the Olympics. This time there was singing, trumpets, a vio-lin that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up, more speeches and jets


46

On July 6th, members of the 3888 Executive Board are on-hand to swear in 45 new recruits who began 26 weeks of training on July 2nd.

Nineteen Toronto Fire Fighters attended one of two luncheons, held on March 30 and April 17, and received medals in recognition of their 25 years of active service with the Toronto Fire Services.

Toronto Fire Fighters from Station 312, in full dress uniform, salute as a procession carrying the bodies of soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan passes through the downtown core.

3888RECENT HAPPENINGS

Toronto Fire Fighters, including Fire Chief Bill Stewart, assemble in Ottawa for the annual Canadian Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial. This year’s event on Parliament Hill was held on September 9th.

Toronto Firefi ghter, Jamie Reilly, poses with his family, his MP, and Governor General, Michaelle Jean, after receiving

the Medal of Bravery. Jamie risked his life on December 19, 2005, while attempting to rescue a woman

from 18 Rangoon Road in Etobicoke.Toronto Fire Fighters

Damien Walsh, James Reed, Paul Beames, and Jim Morache prepare to clock the 3rd fastest time of the

day in the 2007 Toronto General Hospital Bed Races, held during the Taste of the Danforth celebrations this past August.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, surrounded by fi re fi ghters and other public service workers, tells the crowd gathered at this campaign press conference that, “Public employees are the backbone of this great province.”

President Scott Marks, Executive Offi cer Jim Morache, and Deputy Chief Frank Lamie accept a cheque for $25,000 from the platinum sponsor for the 2008 Toronto Fire Fighter Calendar, Starfi eld-Lion.


On July 6th, members of the 3888 Executive Board are on-hand to swear in 45 new recruits who began 26 weeks of training on July 2nd.

Nineteen Toronto Fire Fighters attended one of two luncheons, held on March 30 and April 17, and received medals in recognition of their 25 years of active service with the Toronto Fire Services.

Toronto Fire Fighters from Station 312, in full dress uniform, salute as a procession carrying the bodies of soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan passes through the downtown core.

3888RECENT HAPPENINGS

Toronto Fire Fighters, including Fire Chief Bill Stewart, assemble in Ottawa for the annual Canadian Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial. This year’s event on Parliament Hill was held on September 9th.

Toronto Firefi ghter, Jamie Reilly, poses with his family, his MP, and Governor General, Michaelle Jean, after receiving

the Medal of Bravery. Jamie risked his life on December 19, 2005, while attempting to rescue a woman

from 18 Rangoon Road in Etobicoke.Toronto Fire Fighters

Damien Walsh, James Reed, Paul Beames, and Jim Morache prepare to clock the 3rd fastest time of the

day in the 2007 Toronto General Hospital Bed Races, held during the Taste of the Danforth celebrations this past August.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, surrounded by fi re fi ghters and other public service workers, tells the crowd gathered at this campaign press conference that, “Public employees are the backbone of this great province.”

President Scott Marks, Executive Offi cer Jim Morache, and Deputy Chief Frank Lamie accept a cheque for $25,000 from the platinum sponsor for the 2008 Toronto Fire Fighter Calendar, Starfi eld-Lion.

48

Local 3888’s Annual Picnic was held at Center Island on July 18th this year and was well attended by children of all ages. Meteo-

rologists were threatening rain and thunderstorms on this particular day, yet hundreds of parents and children came to Center Island anyway. And why not? The weatherman isn’t always right; and in this case, the weather was fantas-tic for the duration of the TPFFA Picnic.

The Toronto Islands are always a nice place to visit in the summer time because of the moderate temperatures provided by Lake Ontario.

The Fire Department Employees Credit Union representative was hand-ing out necklaces with sunscreen that were very popular due to the sunny weather. The kids also received their annual picnic t-shirts with the “first fire truck” moose on the back.

The annual picnic was returned to the Toronto Islands this year after members requested the change through questionnaires handed out at previous picnics. The majority of families attending the picnic travelled to the island on the eleven o’clock ferry and were treated to a water display by the fireboat. The ferry ride is always a fun ride for the kids. Once on the island, there was plenty to do for kids and adults alike.

There were four large bouncers for the kids to play on. Bouncers were age appropriate so that children of all ages could play, and they were well used throughout the entire day. The Fire Prevention Public Education members brought out fun games for children to try as well. Kids were dressed up in bunker gear

BY KEITH HAMILTON, LOCAL 3888 EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICER

The annual picnic was returned to

through questionnaires handed out

that children of all ages could play, and they were well used throughout the entire day. The Fire Prevention Public Education members brought out fun games for children to try as well. Kids were dressed up in bunker gear

L CAL 3888PICNIC


and used hand pumps and a hose line to hit targets and have fun.

Children’s races were held in the afternoon and all children four years old and younger received a prize at the end of their race. For children between the age of five and sixteen, medals are awarded for the first three places of each race. Parents and children also had the opportunity to play together in the ever-popular and sometimes comical wheelbarrow races.

After the races, the adults entertained the children with shoe kicking, frisbee tossing, tug-of-war and watermelon eat-ing contests. The four women’s teams and four men’s teams provided great entertainment during their contests and the winners and runners-up were given coveted t-shirts for their heroic efforts.

For those families with older kids, or for those times before and after the scheduled events, there were discount tickets available for the rides at Center-ville. For members that did not plan for a picnic lunch, food tickets were available at the registration tent to get food in Centerville as well. To help with the warm weather, Executive Officers and helpers worked at Box 12

handing out bottles of water, freezies, popcorn and water-melon slices. At the end of the scheduled

events, once the games were complete and the air was let out of the bouncers, the sky did turn a little dark. But the threatening skies stayed over the city and did not have any affect on the day’s events. Most families did not leave at the end of the games but stayed longer to enjoy the many opportunities for fun on the islands.

For those that attended they know what a good time was had; for those that didn’t or couldn’t attend this year, make sure you prepare to attend next year’s picnic.

The Fire Prevention Public Education members brought out fun games for children to try as well. Kids were dressed up in bunker gear and used hand pumps and a hose line to hit targets and have fun.

for those times before and after the scheduled events, there were discount tickets available for the rides at Center-ville. For members that did not plan for a picnic lunch, food tickets were available at the registration tent to get food in Centerville as well. To help with the warm weather, Executive Officers and helpers worked at Box 12

handing out bottles of water, freezies, popcorn and water-

events, once the games were complete and the air was let out of the bouncers, the sky did turn a little dark. But the threatening skies stayed over the city and did not have any affect on the day’s events. Most families did not leave at the end of the games but stayed longer to enjoy the many opportunities for fun on the islands.

For those that attended they know what a good time was had; for those that didn’t or couldn’t attend this year, make sure you prepare to attend next year’s picnic.

L CAL 3888PICNIC

50

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Please also find 4 wallet shift cards enclosed in the polybag in which FireWatch was mailed

2008 Operations Division Shift Calendar

RED: A WORKING GREY: B WORKING BLUE: C WORKING YELLOW: D WORKING


SURVIVEFit to The fi re fi ghter’s guide to health and nutrition

Fit to Survive is your source for a healthier life, brought to you by the IAFF’s Fire Service Joint Labour Management Wellness/Fitness Initiative. You’ll find expert advice and practical information on staying fit and healthy, as well as recipes and nutrition tips to make your next firehouse meal wholesome and delicious. Articles reprinted in FireWatch have been taken from the IAFF’s Fit To Survive web site, which we encourage all members to visit regularly. It can be found at www.foodfit.com/iaff/.

Indoor Cycling Offers Benefi ts On and Off the BikeSpinning—or indoor cycling—is a form of exercise using a stationary exercise bicycle in a classroom setting. The concept was created in the 1980s by ultra-endurance athlete Jonathan Goldberg (“Johnny G.”). Participants set goals based on their perceived rate of exertion or heart rate using a heart rate monitor.

Several indoor cycling programs exist, including “Spinning,” administered by Mad Dogg Athletics, “Studio cycling,” operated by Reebok, and “Power pacing,” from Keiser.

Indoor cycling is a great workout and an excellent way to maintain or improve fitness and reduce stress. This combination mind-and-body workout also helps develop mental disci-pline and creates a calming and peaceful effect even as the body is being pushed to its limits.

A typical class involves a single instructor at the front of the class who leads the participants in a number of different types of cycling. The routines are designed to simulate terrain and situations encountered on actual bicycle rides, including hill climbs, sprints and interval training. Coasting downhill, however, is not simulated. The instructor uses music and enthusiastic coaching to motivate the students to work harder.

Each person in the class can choose his or her own goals for the session. Some participants choose to maintain a moderate aerobic intensity level, while others drive their heart rates higher in intervals of anaerobic activity.

Classes generally use specialized stationary bicycles. Features include a mechanical device to modify the difficulty of pedaling, specially-shaped handlebars and multiple adjustment points to fit the bicycle to a range of riders. The pedals are equipped with toe straps to hold the foot to the pedal, enabling powerful upstrokes. They may also have cleats for use with specialty bicycling shoes.

The difficulty of the workout is regulated by varying the resistance on a flywheel attached to the pedals and changing the cadence (the speed at which the pedals turn). The resistance is controlled by a knob, wheel or lever that the rider operates, causing the flywheel brake (a common bicycle brake) to tighten. Tightening the brake makes pedaling more difficult while loosening it makes pedaling easier.

Indoor cycling is very energetic and causes a lot of sweating, so it’s important to bring and drink plenty of water.

This very zesty, fl avourful, and nourishing soup is sure to please!

This recipe serves: 4Preparation Time: 10 minsCooking Time: 50 mins

Per serving: 206 calories, 5g fat and 803mg sodium

SUGGESTIONS* Note: The pumpkin used in this soup is not “jack-o-lantern” pumpkin. Use smaller pumpkins such as kabocha or jap squash. These are soft skinned and sweeter witha denser fl esh.

HEALTHY SUBSTITUTIONSBy replacing heavy cream, fl our and regular chicken stock with potatoes (for thickening), spices and low-sodium chicken stock, this healthier soup ups the nutrition and downs the calories, fat and sodium of many restaurant-style squash soups.

INGREDIENTS1 Tbsp olive oil1 onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed2 chilies, seeded and sliced1 tsp ground cumin1 small pumpkin* (or medium butternut

squash), seeded, peeled and chopped3 medium potato, peeled and chopped5 cup low-sodium chicken stock4 tsp nonfat sour cream4 tsp chives, to garnish

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chilies and cumin. Sauté until onion is soft. Stir in pumpkin, potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until pumpkin and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.2. Purée soup in a food processor. Return soup to saucepan to reheat. Top with a dollop of nonfat sour cream and sprinkle with chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN SOUP

Please also fi nd 4 wallet shift cards enclosed in the polybag in which FireWatch was mailed

52

DATE* EVENT LOCATION

October 1 - October 4 OPFFA “Dr. Eric G. Taylor” Fall Seminar Niagara Falls, Ontario

October 7-13 Fire Prevention Week Various locations, Toronto

October 10 Provincial Election Various voting Stations, Ontario

October 11 Toronto FF Calendar Launch Bay, Queen & Yonge

Saturday, October 13 (1000-1600) Fire Prevention Open House TFS & EMS Training Centre,

895 Eastern Ave.

October 16, Tuesday Night meeting only (1900 Hrs) 3888 General Union Meeting RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

October 17 - 19 Toronto HazMat Conference Toronto - Crown Plaza

October 21 -25 IAFF 2207 Redmond Symposium Chicago, IL

Wednesday, November 7 Take Kids to School Day- Grade 9 (FCC 209) Toronto

November 21, Wednesday Night meeting only (1900 Hrs) 3888 General Union Meeting RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

Friday, November 23 2 Magic shows at 1730, 2000 Hrs. Etobicoke - Michael Power/St. Joseph Sec. School

Saturday, November 24 Local 3888 Children’s X-mas Party Variety Village

Saturday, November 24 3 Magic shows at 1300, 1600 & 1900 Hrs.

Etobicoke - Michael Power/St. Joseph Sec. School

November 26-29 OPFFA Legislative Conference Toronto

Wednesday, November 28 Stewards Meeting 3888 Union offi ce

Tuesday, December 4 2 Magic shows at 1730 & 2000 Hrs. Toronto - Ryerson Theatre

Wednesday, December 12 2 Magic shows at 1730 & 2000 Hrs. North York - Lawrence Park CI School

December 18, Tuesday Night meeting only (1900 Hrs) 3888 General Union Meeting RCL Br. 527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.

Friday, Dec. 21 (1200 Hrs) To/Incl. Jan 1, 2007 Union Offi ce will be closed 39 Commissioners Street

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Albert GilbertJuly 16,1884Toronto Fire Department

On July 16, 1884, at approximately ten-thirty p.m., an alarm of fire was sounded for the stable at the rear of T. Hall’s grocery store on the southeastern corner of Parliament and Sydenham Streets, in the east end of Toronto. Horse-drawn apparatus responded from Court, Berkeley, Wilton and Bay Street stations, which made up the eastern section of the Toronto Fire Department at that time.

The hayloft above the stables was on fire, but quick work with several hose streams from the outside kept the fire from spreading to the store. When it became possible, several fire fighters entered with lanterns to try and save two horses reported to be still inside. Other crew members brought in another stream to confirm extinguishment and conduct overhaul. Fire fighter Albert Gilbert, from the Court Street Hook & Ladder, was about to use his pike pole—or “hook,” as it was

called then—to open up the hay for better water application, when suddenly the roof and hayloft collapsed, burying the fire fighters under tons of hay.

About a dozen fire fighters were inside the building, trapped under the debris, including Deputy Chief Graham and Gilbert. Fire Chief Richard Ardagh, whose son Charles was also trapped, organized the rescue effort and they immediately began digging the men out one by one while extinguishing the fire that had been stirred up by the collapse.

Fire fighter Tom Pointon’s life was saved by fire fighter Tom Worrell, who was later killed in the line of duty in 1905. Pointon was trapped up to his neck by the enor-mous weight of the wet hay but fire fighter Worrell held his head up until help arrived to dig him out.

Charles Ardagh was rescued forty-five minutes later and it was thought he was the last of the trapped men. The reels began to return to their stations when Captain Frank Smith of the Court Street hall took roll call and determined that fire fighter Gilbert was missing. Some thought

he had come out already, but Deputy Chief Graham remembered Gilbert had been near him inside the building when it collapsed.

The search was resumed and after an hour of hard work a pike pole and the legs of a man were discovered under debris and a heavy beam. Thirty minutes later the crushed body of Albert Gilbert was re-moved. His helmet was crushed and he still held the pike pole, broken, in his hand.

Under the light of the stars a procession of fire fighters and their apparatus fol-lowed the ambulance with the body of their comrade back to the Court Street hail from where he had responded a couple of hours earlier.

Albert Gilbert was forty-nine years of age, a widower, and left four children. He had been a fire fighter for about fifteen years and now rests in the Necropolis Cemetery. At his funeral a wreath on the casket read “rung out”—an 1800s phrase meaning “last alarm.”

Thomas ChartersApril 14,1881Toronto Fire Department

As is often the case with fire fighting, the dangers of the job creep up to you without warning. With every breath of toxic smoke, with every strain and pain, fire fighting wears at a man until sometimes his body

can take no more. And such was the case with Fire fighter Thomas Charters. His last call was a relatively minor one; the kind of call that we go to every day.

Just after 1:30 P.M. a stovepipe became clogged at Southworth’s Second Hand Store, 651 Yonge St. With the store filling up with smoke, an employee ran to the corner of Yonge and Isabella and pulled Box 42. With Yorkville not yet annexed,

the Yonge Street section was first in. Only $500 damage was incurred as the stove-pipe was opened up and the store cleared of smoke, and crews were soon clear.

It would turn out to be one call too many, though, for Tom Charters’ heart. He died later that night at his home, despite his physicians attempts. He would be the 10th Toronto Fire Fighter to die in the line of duty.

BY JON LASIUK – TORONTO FIRE FIGHTER


* Re-printed with permission from the book Their Last Alarm by Robert B. Kirkpatrick.

54

ALARMFORCE ................................... 12

APACHE BURGERS ............................. 54

CANADIAN ASSOC OF MOVERS ........ 7

DANIEL DRAGAN GAVRILOVIC ........ 54

DUTTON BROCK LLP ........................ 54

GREEN WAY NATURAL THERAPY ..... 34

GTA TRUCK & TRAILER REPAIR .......... 7

JIFFY LUBE ................... OUTSIDE BACK

MR PITA ............................................. 54

NORTH CITY ..................................... 12

ORTHOTICARE .................................. 27

PHARMA MEDICA RESEARCH ............ 8

PHYSIO F/X LTD ................................ 12

RE/MAX SPIRIT INC .......................... 27

ROYAL LEPAGE–BLAIR BUGGE ........... 8

SABANTINI’S GOURMET FOODS .... 27

SCARBORO SUZUKI .......................... 10

SEAGHER MEDICAL GROUP ............. 34

SNS PAINTING & CONTRACTING .... 34

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES

CREDIT UNION ............. INSIDE FRONT

TRAVEL SOURCE NETWORK .............. 8

WIRELESS/BELL MOBILITY .............. 10

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fire watch (fall 2007)

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