Members of both the City and County Fire Departments, local RCMP and EMS workers gathered this afternoon to pay respect to first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
September 11th, 2014 marks 13 years since the terrorist attacks on the United States, and Fire Chief Dan Lemieux feels it’s important to hold an annual day of remembrance.
“9/11 has forever changed the face of fire service and certainly we need to learn from that event, and we need to continue to do the very best we can to protect all of our members.”
Many from IAFF Local 2770 knew an Edmonton firefighter who recently took his life, and Lemieux said that helped them realize that it’s important to pay attention to mental health, as well as physical.
“We have to be aware that there’s a cumulative effect from all of these tragic events that we attend, so we have to make sure that we look after each other, and we have to ask our families to make sure that they also pay attention to how their loved ones are doing, and if there are any issues.”
Lemieux says the fire department now has a process after significant events to make sure their staff are looked after.
