Help two first responders who lost their home in Jasper

Help two first responders who lost their home in the Jasper wildfire.

My name is Kate; Nick is my brother, and Roz is his long-time partner. I live far away from them in Ontario, Canada.

As most of us have seen and heard; Jasper, Alberta has been devastated by a major wildfire in recent days. My brother, Nick, and his partner, Roz, live and work there, and have been massively affected by this tragedy. The fire destroyed a significant part of Jasper in the span of 48 hours. 30% of the structures in the town have been lost in the fire, including their home. They have lost virtually everything.

Roz works for Parks Canada by providing backcountry rescue services and emergency response to visitors to ensure their health and wellbeing while visiting this beautiful park.

When the fire started, she helped evacuate the front country and spent the next days coordinating the evacuation of everyone in the backcountry to ensure their safety and pull them out of danger. Thanks to her and her team, everyone was accounted for, and evacuated safely. She worked her ass off until literally the last minute, when she was told to grab her important belongings and go. What did she grab? She took a few necessary pieces of equipment for her, and Nick’s jobs, a photo album our mom made for Nick, a few essentials, and that’s about it. She evacuated safely, and I’m so so so grateful for her service. This woman is a rockstar.

Nick, my brother; is a Wildland firefighter for Alberta Wildfire. At the time, he was deployed many hours away, fighting a fire near Fort McMurray. Because of his commitment, the distance, and the rapid spread of the Jasper fire, there was absolutely nothing he could have done to protect their town, their home, and their belongings. In the wake of it all, everyone is safe; and that’s the main thing.

That being said, my heart breaks for those who have lost their homes, their businesses, their livelihoods and their possessions in this.

Nick and Roz are two of my favourite people on this planet, and this loss for them hurts my heart in a deep way. They loved their home and the memories they’ve made and kept there. Their possessions were a collection of artwork from loved ones, specialized equipment for their jobs, and pieces that fuelled their vast adventurous interests and passions. They didn’t just lose “stuff”, they lost a part of their livelihood and thier wellbeing.

If you have a means to donate, that would mean the world. If you can share this, that would be incredible.

The funds raised will go towards securing a new place for them to live, essentials; like food and clothing, and replacing some of their treasured equipment and belongings.