Dec 1, 2023

Members of the Hellenic Fire Corps from Greece

It was our honor to meet Members of the Hellenic Fire Corps from Greece attending specialty programs like ICS Canada Courses 100 to 400 and Crisis Communication Management recently at NAIT. They took the time to visit Edmonton’s St. George's Greek Orthodox Church Sunday services and the Hellenic-Canadian Community of Edmonton and Region who hosted a wonderful evening dinner in our hall sharing stories and friendships.

The Hellenic Fire Corps is an umbrella organization encompassing training firemen and firewomen, maintaining equipment including a fleet of water bombers for forest fires and more. They provide rescue and support services in fires, floods and any disaster that may harm the Greek public. Τhey work with the ministry of Climate Crisis as a cohesive unit finding the NAIT programs trip, funded by Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Their dedication and love for their craft fraught with danger was inspiring. We met firefighter Eriphile Dascalou, a young Gen X woman in the group who recently posted a moving Facebook message. An ode to all firefighters:

“One day wet from fighting fires the next from rainwater.

Blessed are these firemen because this job reminds them daily that they are human, that with what they see tomorrow is not a given, that it is worth risking for a drop of hope for life, that it doesn't matter if you are sleepless, hungry, wet, dirty as long as you save a person, a house, a tree.

That is the firefighter. He quietly fights for the last ant, when others throw people into the sea.

Thankful to this job that even if it deprived us of our summer, our family, our rest, it always reminds us in all ways that we are human, whether we want to or not.

And "forces" us to put the good of others before our own.”

By Hellenic Fire Corps member Eriphile Dascalou