Tomorrow morning, the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation will officially unveil a monument to fallen firefighters on LeBreton Flats in Ottawa. The names of some 1,100 firefighters who have lost their lives will be etched on the memorial which was designed by artist and author Douglas Coupland. Not all of the men whose names are on the monument died rushing into burning buildings. Some of them died in traffic accidents rushing to fire scenes. Some of them died when their hearts exploded from the intense heat at a scene or because of the sheer stress and adrenaline. Still others were pilots and crewmen who died trying to save Canada's wildlands. Many, many others died from cancer they developed as the result of their jobs. A lot of those men did their job for no pay, in the service of their communities. While I commend the others, I believe the volunteers are the real heroes who sacrificed time with their families and at work to protect their neighbors. I know a few o...
More than a million served!