Surrey & White Rock Initiate Priority Vaccinations for First Responders

For Immediate Release April 12, 2021

VANCOUVER, BC – Surrey and White Rock fire fighters and police officers now have priority access to vaccinations as part of the “Vaccinate Surrey / White Rock first responder priority program.” Under the direction of the Public Health Office, the program has been initiated to allow first responders to book their appointments online in the coming days. The program is being rolled out as the City of Surrey faces some of the highest case counts in the province. 

“Having Surrey’s and White Rock’s first responders vaccinated is clearly the right step in mitigating the opportunity of infecting a critical workforce. We commend the leadership of the Surrey Fire Service as well as White Rock Fire Service in achieving this necessary step of protecting its fire fighters and the community, and we are extremely hopeful that this advance can pave the way for all first responders in this province to access the vaccination program,” says Gord Ditchburn, President, BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association. 

“Surrey is not alone in experiencing high case counts, the Vancouver Downtown Eastside, and many areas of BC are experiencing high rates - it’s time to protect all first responders!”

The BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association is pleased to hear that the Public Health Office (PHO) and Minister of Health have initiated the immediate process of vaccinating fire fighters as previously prioritized. However, with AstraZeneca currently suspended by Health Canada, the BCPFFA continues to petition the PHO and Minister of Health to pivot brands and allow for the immediate vaccination for first responders.

COVID-19 has no borders. All first responders are at risk of catching this disease both off and on duty. Should this trend continue, it will negatively impact the workplace and health of fire fighters if infected. 

The BCPFFA is grateful to all of the hard work of the PHO and the Minister of Health in recognizing the importance of having first responders vaccinated as a priority group. The BCPFFA thanks its members for their continued commitment to service in every community in the province despite the anxiety of COVID-19 and the wait to be vaccinated.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Nicole Clark, Director of Communications

P: 778.789.0820

E: communications@bcpffa.org


ABOUT THE BCPFFA: 

Established in 1929, the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (BCPFFA) is an organization of 53 locals who represent over 4000 professional men and women fire fighters in BC, including the Yukon. The BCPFFA and its 53 are affiliates of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The BCPFFA is a service provider for its affiliates offering training and education in areas of provincial legislation, occupational health and safety, Worksafe advocacy, financial assistance, bargaining, labour law, and advocacy for best practices in both public safety and fire fighter safety.

Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 by Health Area of Case Residence

April 7, 2021 - The BCCDC released two new maps of the province's coronavirus infections on Wednesday, one showing the last week's worth of cases and the other showing cumulative cases since the pandemic began. (BCCDC)

Tickets are now available for the Hometown Heroes Lottery!

 
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Tickets are now available for the Hometown Heroes Lottery!

Be sure to get the hottest tickets in town. You'll be supporting our resilience-building programs for burn survivors - from Burn Camp for kids to the Home Away accommodation program for burn and trauma survivors who must travel to Vancouver to undergo treatment.

Tickets are on sale now until midnight, July 16, 2021, or until tickets sell out! https://heroeslottery.com/

International Women's Day Series with Maryann Dragovan

Maryann Dragovan

As part of our International Women’s Day Series we hear from Maryann Dragovan, the Secretary/Dispatcher for Cranbrook Local 1253. Maryann has served Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services for 18 years and is a member of the BCPFFA Women’s Advisory Committee. Read about a day in the life of Maryann in her role as a  secretary/dispatcher below. 

Why did you want to become a Secretary/Dispatcher with Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services?

I wanted to become a Secretary/Dispatcher because I enjoy helping people. It gives me great pleasure and I felt it would be very fulfilling to have a profession in which I was able to help people every day. I also appreciate and admire those who put their lives on the line to protect our community, and to be able to work as part of a team with those people gives me a great sense of achievement. I also felt this career would be very dynamic and never boring, being different every day. 

How would you describe a day in your role?

From the time I started my career, 18 years ago, my job has changed significantly.  I started out as a Secretary and a few years into my career my job changed to Secretary/Dispatcher.  Cranbrook Fire Department at that time dispatched for 17 communities.  I was the main Dispatcher Monday-Friday.  

Every day was different.  My day may have started out with some administrative duties such as payroll, typing letters and reports, auditing paperwork etc. to receiving an emergency call that required all my time and attention.  I would start out by taking the call, listening carefully to make sure I had the correct information.  I would then dispatch the fire department responding to that area and providing them the information required to respond.  My duties from there would be to dispatch agencies that the fire department may require such as EHS, RCMP, Hydro, Fortis Gas, Ministry of Environment, etc.  I would be responsible for tracking pertinent response times and would continue monitoring the call and assisting with any other resources until the call was terminated and the responding apparatuses were back at the hall.

Receiving these emergency calls would get my heart pumping and my day would become very exciting, fast-moving and challenging at times.  But knowing that I was able to assist someone in getting help right away made me want to do my job well.   At times I may have had 2 or 3 emergency calls at one time.  This can be very overwhelming depending on the type of calls and whether or not there are other firefighters/dispatchers in the hall to assist me.   But knowing that you are working for the safety and well-being of your friends, neighbours, co-workers and community makes this job a highly rewarding one.

Just over five years ago our department was no longer dispatching.  I continued on with my administrative duties and I was able to transition from Dispatcher to a role where I assist crews on scene at incidents.  My role has gradually migrated towards on scene support of firefighters, the Incident Commander and department administrative staff.  I feel I have found a valuable incident scene support role that continues to assist our members and citizens during incidents; just in a different capacity.

What do you find rewarding about your job?

The most rewarding part of my job is being part of a team that is helping those in need, and doing my part to the best of my ability to help the organization as a whole.  I also really enjoy helping others during our community events and through our fundraisers that assist Muscular Dystrophy and the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund.  I find this very rewarding as well.

Another rewarding aspect of my job is being part of a second family.  Having 24 brothers is definitely overwhelming at times, but l am so happy to have this opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people! Lastly, it’s rewarding being part of a larger organization provincially, nationally and internationally.

International Women’s Day series with Paula Faedo

Today in our International Women’s Day series we feature Paula Faedo, a retired Captain with Coquitlam Fire Fighters IAFF1782 and breast cancer survivor.

In 2015, Paula was a part of a contingency of women in the fire service who travelled with the BCPFFA to successfully lobby the government to recognize breast cancer as a presumption. Learn more about her journey in the video below.

Photo by Dave Harcus

 
 

Inclusion of the BC Professional Fire Fighters in the Vaccine Rollout

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For immediate release

Statement on the inclusion of the BC Professional Fire Fighters in the Vaccine Rollout

BC Professional Fire Fighters are committed to serving our communities and helping to keep British Columbians safe. With today’s announcement from the Ministry of Health, fire fighters across this province may continue serving their communities while knowing that they will soon be protected from the dangers that these environments present. 

Advocating for the inclusion of BC fire fighters and first responder vaccinations in the early phases has been a priority of the BCPFFA since the onset of COVID-19 while respecting the ethical framework of vaccination which prioritizes the most vulnerable populations. The BCPFFA gratefully acknowledges the Fire Chief’s Association of BC (FCABC), IAFF affiliates, and various partners for their collaboration and collective efforts in ensuring frontline responders are protected. 

With the immunization of fire fighters taking place between late March and early April, fire fighters will continue to support the essential service as first responders. Vaccination will prevent threats to emergency response, such as a reduced workforce that could negatively impact emergency operations and services to the community. 

The BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association thanks Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry for their hard work and continued efforts in stopping the spread of COVID 19. 

Gord Ditchburn

President

BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association

MEDIA CONTACT

Nicole Clark, Director of Communications

P: 778.789.0820

E: communications@bcpffa.org

 

International Women’s Day series - Caitlyn Younger

Caitlyn Younger

This week as part of our International Women’s Day series we hear from Caitlyn Younger, a fourth year fire fighter with Burnaby Firefighters L323. Caitlyn is the first graduate of Camp Ignite to become a fire fighter. Here she shares words of encouragement for anyone considering joining the fire service.

“For anyone considering a job in the fire service, there’s a few different things you should look at. Of course there are the physical aspects - so go to the gym, do those things to better yourself, get that cardio in to build your strength up. Make sure you have the mechanical aptitude and take the steps to make yourself more aware. That’s just part of the job to know how certain things work and go together. I would honestly say you can do anything if you just put your mind to it.”

2021 Photos by Dave Harcus.

Caitlyn Younger with her Father

International Women’s Day Series - Rolyn Potter

Rolyn Potter, Captain, Vancouver Fire & Rescue Service

Photo by Dave Harcus

This week as part of our International Women’s Day series, we are proud to highlight Vancouver Local 18 Acting Captain Rolyn Potter. Rolyn is a dedicated member of Local 18 and also serves on a number of committees, including the Vancouver Fire Fighters’ Historical Society and the BCPFFA Women’s Advisory Committee.  

“I’m not most people’s idea of a woman or a woman fire fighter. I’m not feminine and my gender identity and expression is complex. I think it’s important, particularly for young people, to see that this is another way of being in the world.”

Watch the video below as she reflects on her career and what she loves about fire fighting. 

 

Rolyn Potter’s reflection on her career and what she loves about fire fighting