On the first weekend in September, a group of Cavan Monaghan Firefighters joined members of the Thertell family and along with hundreds of other fire service members, families and supporters at the 22nd annual memorial weekend of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters’ Foundation (CFFF). This is annual event honours firefighters who died in the line of duty. Among the inductees from across Canada that were recognized that weekend was the late Captain Orville Thertell of Cavan Monaghan. He passed away in August, 2023 from a cancer that has been linked to performing firefighter duties due to the regular exposure to a wide array of carcinogens in this work. Eligibility to this esteemed group begins with official membership in a fire fighter department, volunteer or otherwise, who is trained and hired to perform firefighter duties. Fallen Firefighters are nominated and their death is demonstrated to be linked to their duties through a comprehensive process.
The three day event began with the arrival of the Firefighters’ Memorial Ride, which is a fundraising event consisting of Canadian fi refi ghters who have cycled from Hamilton to Ottawa as a fundraiser for the CFFF. On Saturday guests were treated to a private tour of the House of Commons, asocial event where families could share their stories, and a musical interlude of bagpipe music at a local pub.
On Sunday, the National Memorial Ceremony at LeBreton Flats honoured 140 fallen firefighters whose names were newly inscribed on the memorial wall. Orville’s wife Cindy thought it fitting that Orville’s name was engraved beside alight on the wall because in his day job he was an electrician. The ceremony included a formal parade, musical tributes and presentations to families. .Members of the National Defense Fire Service (NDFS) and the Royal Canadian Air Force firefighters came from across Canada to participate in the parade and Honour Guard. Their presence highlighted the enduring commitment of NDFS firefighters to both domestic and deployed fire protection, including aircraft rescue and crash response. When the bagpipes wrapped up their performance of Amazing Grace near the end of the ceremony, there was hardly a dry eye in the audience.
It is important to recognize the fallen but more critical to take actions to prevent the cause of their demise. Cavan Monaghan’s Fire Station One is equipped with new safety features to protect emergency staff who come to our rescue. They include scrubbers on the ceiling in the vehicle bays that help remove contaminants in the air which are activated by the opening of the garage doors, automatically boosting their cleaning power when fire trucks return from an emergency. Protective clothing and gear is cleaned immediately and stored in a segregated area to protect it from contamination. On site showers allow firefighters to remove chemicals from their person before returning home.
Our local Firefighters demonstrated their own support for this organization which honours, remembers and supports Canada’s fi re service heroes and their families with a significant donation to the organization. It’s safe to say that while the weekend represents a meaningful gesture to families of the fallen, one hopes the number of new names added to this memorial wall each year.