Students of the Firefighter - Pre-Service, Education and Training program pulled together to finish first in the Emergency Medical Services charity challenge.
Students of the Firefighter - Pre-Service, Education and Training, and Police Foundations programs gathered recently to work on their skills and raise money for a worthy cause as part of the first Emergency Medical Services (EMS) challenge.
The challenge was held April 5 at Whitby campus and raised money for Camp Bucko, a charity near Minden, Ontario that supports child burn victims. It was organized by Krista Watson, a Durham College student development co-ordinator, and Matt Agar and Josh De Montfort, both in the Firefighter program.
The challenge consisted of a fitness course, an emergency scene evaluation and a fund-raising contest. The Firefighter - Pre-Service, Education and Training students clinched first-place honours, donating $1,378 to Camp Bucko.
"Hopefully this is just the beginning of something that will continue to grow," said Agar. "We've already started planning for next year. It's a great cause and it gives the EMS students the chance to practice their skills sets together at one emergency scene."
The majority of the money was raised through on-campus donations. As part of the day's events a barbeque was held, which was originally intended for participants but the resourceful organizers recognized the opportunity to gain further donations as passers-by asked for food. By day's end the challenge had raised enough money to send one child to Camp Bucko for one week.