HONOURING HEROES
A young boy stands with Calgary firefighters during a noon-hour memorial ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday. Calgary has lost 53 firefighters in the line of duty, nine during active firefighting and 44 due to illnesses related to the job.
Six more names were added Tuesday to a memorial honouring city firefighters who have died in the line of duty or as a result of it.
The annual ceremony at Municipal Plaza also heard calls from firefighters for more mental-health support, noting a number of those memorialized have taken their own lives due to the stress of their work.
“Every first responder knows the psychological challenges, facing demons in their lives every day, and those who have lost in fighting those demons,” said fire Chief Steve Dongworth.
Said Calgary Firefighters Association president Mike Henson: “We need to do a better job ... we need to stop adding names to granite walls.”
The memorial now bears the names of nine firefighters killed on active duty and 44 from work-related illness.
Added to it on Tuesday were Capt. Eugene Paulson, Div. Chief Douglas Robb, Capt. Daniel Praud, Div. Chief Don Mcdougall, Capt. Glenn Adams and Dist. Chief Dave Rothery.
Newly displayed plaques on the Walls of Memory/lantern of Light tribute were Dist. Chief James Brosh and Capt. Paul Baker, who died from occupational cancer.
Because of the risks they face and price they often pay, firefighters deserve Calgarians’ gratitude, said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“Being a firefighter is not easy ... these women and men have made the greatest sacrifices, the ultimate sacrifices,” he said. “It matters because they’re defending our city and every one of us.”
The city’s fire department is facing a $9-million cut to its budget, part of an effort to shave $60 million from city spending.
Henson has said those cuts will affect services to Calgarians and put more pressure on firefighters.