The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 11, 2002 - B3 I! I I I i: I I M MS & H EH U ES a Heroes only want "to help" By Paula Henriques S P E C IA L F E A T U R E S W R IT E R I I 1 I 1 They all do what they do for a very selfless and simple reason - "to help". This sincere and guileless call to aid is the reason why people become the heroes of the world today - the members of the fire, police, and emergency services departments. "As a young boy I was fascinated with fire trucks," says John deHooge, deputy chief of the Oakville Fire Department. "But it's also a love of community, and a love of service. It's rewarding and exciting. It's the reason I've been here for 24 years." This echoes the sentiments of other emergency services workers like Jim King, director of ambu lance services division who simply states, "1 like to help people." After Sept. 11, that realization was made even more pronounced, not only to each of these workers but also to the people of the community who look at emergency personnel with a renewed level of respect and awe. These are the men and women who wake up every morning and take unimaginable risks, with their only cause being to "help people". "I chose this career because of its challenges, and to help people in the community," says Steve Knowles, a firefighter for almost three years. "In this type of profession relationships become really deep, because of the risks you take. Yes, there is a certain amount of fear, but you just learn to deal with them." Ean Algar, chief of police looks to the positive in the aftermath of the events. "We all want to forget the images of the 9/11 tragedy; the senselessness of it. Sometimes a major tragedy like this one brings out the best in people and renews our sense of community," says Algar. "Of course there is always a sense of sadness when one of our colleagues passes away. Our American friends will always be in our thoughts and minds." The facts are already there. Since Sept. 11, an almost seven per cent decrease in violent crimes occurred in the first six months in Halton, even though there was an increase in population, a clear indication that people are valuing relationships, fam ily, and friends. In 2001, ambulance services responded to more than 22,000 patients - a majority of these calls were classified as emergencies, marking al3.5 per cent increase in calls compared to 2000. This is a clear message that emergency roles are changing and responsibilities are increasing. These are the people we depend on. Many operational changes within the police, fire, and emergency services departments took place as well. With new threats unthought of in the past, the departments now work even closer together and with those of neighbouring municipalities. They have developed protocols, formed new roles and responsibilities, and engaged in emergency training and preparation. Since that fateful day, the roles of emergency per sonnel became very real indeed to the public, espe cially the realization that because of them, we con tinue to have a deep sense of security and freedom. "Firefighters do more than just put out fires. We're usually the first on the scene. We deal with hazardous materials, water/ice rescue, motor vehicle accidents and other situations," says deHooge. So how do these heroes deal with the events of Sept. 11? "You never completely know how to deal with it. It's hard to perceive how people can carry out a senseless tragedy like that," says King. "But it also gives you more awareness on how to live - you just have to live a little more each day and do your job as you would before." Remembering all those who passed away on Sept. //. Our prayers and thoughts are 1 1 1 I 1 I I I 1 Hi I I 1 with their fam ilies. IS C H E V R O L E T B riar W o o d O L D S M O B I L E L I M I T E D HOME OF OPTIMUM USED VEHICLES 321 Lakeshore Rd. W est 905-278-3365 w w w .b riarw oodch ev.gm canad a.com em ail: briarw ood chev@ gm canada.com i Our thoughts and prayers are with you! T o o n th o s e w h o s e th a t f a t e f u l d a y r e m e m - G A R Y C A R R , IVLPP. Oakville Constituency Office: 2330 Lakeshore Rd. YV., Oakville, ON L6L 1H3 (905) 827-5141 FAX (905) 827-3786 liv e s p e r is h e d w e w ill a lw a y s b e r y o u r b r a v e r y . Barrie Erskine · Oakville Beaver Firefighters in training. S O C C E R y y U JO R I Great prices with knowledgeable service. INDOOR SO C C ER GEAR Arriving Daily csscas®! · shoes · shin pads · goalie gloves · uniforms balls · socks · referee uniforms · gifts* jerseys · shorts N o v ic e R e c r e a t i o n a l P la y e r s W o r l d C u p H o p e f u ls & C o n t e n d e r s 1 8 7 C ro s s A v e . Across from Oakville GO Pets Depot 4 0 0 2 T R A F A L G A R R D ., C o rn e r of T ra fa lg a r & B u rn h a m th o rp e (9 0 5 ) 2 5 7 - 4 6 1 1 Store Hours: Mon, to Fri. 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., 11 a.m.-4p.m. ^ ___ . (9 0 5 ) 8 1 5 - 8 9 3 9 Mon., Wed., Fri., 11-6 »Thurs. 11-8 · Sat. 10-6 · Sun. 12-5