Doug Scrimgeour Helps Firefighters In Mexico

Doug Scrimgeour Helps Firefighters In Mexico – Community Champion

June 12, 2017

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They say not all heroes wear capes, and after meeting Doug Scrimgeour we wholeheartedly agree.

Doug and his wife Diane spend half of the year living in Mexico, so this labour of love was close to his heart from the start. “There is much need (in Mexico), but they are always saying “How can we help you?” comments Scrimgeour. So while putting on a Rib Fest for the local firefighters, Doug asked how he could help them – and the answer he got was surprising. He learned that they were fighting fires using mops and brooms, sometimes even wearing flip-flops while they battled the blazes.

After 30 years on the Blyth Fire Department, Scrimgeour was well aware of the fact that, “(fire) equipment in Canada is timed out and timed out very early.” In Canada, all fire supplies have regulations in the form of expiry dates that indicate when they can no longer be used – but like that loaf of bread in your pantry, many of these supplies are still perfectly fine even after they are expired. As a former volunteer firefighter himself, Doug decided that rather than see equipment that was still in working condition go to landfills, he would try to collect the unused equipment and get it into the hands of Mexico’s first responders.

After contacting Firefighters Without Borders, and teaming up with a number of organizations across North America – including the Masonic Lodge, the Royal Canadian Legion, the American Legion, the Red Cross and the Rotary Club – he was able to deliver equipment, uniforms and gear from across Canada to firefighters and paramedics throughout Mexico.

To date, Doug and his team of volunteers and sponsors have sent four shipping containers worth approximately $6,000,000 each. We started the Excalibur Community Champion Awards to recognize people around us who go above and beyond and expect nothing in return and we believe Doug fits the definition to a ‘T’.

Thanks for making the world a better place Doug!

If you want to support Doug and his team, donations can be dropped off at the Radford Gas Bar in Blyth.

Watch Doug’s Interview