Jason Ronfeld got his start as a firefighter with the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, where he was a young recruit in the late 1990s, but even before that time he thought about becoming a professional firefighter.

“Fire fighting has always been a passion of mine” he said from his home in Whitby this week, where he now works as a professional firefighter with the Whitby department.

Last Thursday, along with his firefighting partner John Sotirou, Jason received the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery from Lieutenant Governor David Onley for his actions in response to a house fire in Whitby at the end of April.

There is an ongoing investigation into that fire, so Jason could not talk about all the details. He was called into a house “just across from the fire station just after midnight on April 29. There was smoke outside in the air. No fire was visible to us. We knew there were people in the upstairs apartment so we went in and did a search for them. It was very hot and very smoky,” Jason recalls.

The events that took place were described in the citation that accompanied the award last week:

“Fire damage to the staircase was extensive and conditions on the upper floor were extremely hot with zero visibility. The firefighters could see fire above them on the ceiling. During the search for occupants, the firefighters saw that fire was reforming up the staircase, their only exit route. They used water to suppress the fire, which worsened visibility. Nearing the end of the search, Firefighter Ronfeld noticed the air in his self-contained breathing apparatus was getting low. Through their extensive search of the dwelling unit they were able to locate three unresponsive teenagers huddled together. Firefighters Ronfeld and Sotiriou grabbed each teenager and passed them off to firefighters who had now come upstairs to assist with victim removal. Sadly, despite the valiant and selfless efforts of the firefighters, none of the three victims survived. Back outside, the firefighters noticed that their metal buckles and reflective tape on their gear had been discoloured by the intense heat. That was a clear sign of the extreme conditions these two firefighters faced.”

This was the first time that Jason Ronfeld had been called upon to do this kind of rescue. He said that he knew the conditions were extreme and that he was at risk, but "knowing there were people in there and there was a chance to get to them kind of pushed us. Adrenaline, and a lot of training, comes into play at that point. They played a very large role in what we did.”

All of that training began in Jason's senior year at North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) when he was recruited to the Kaladar/Barrie department by then Fire Chief John Bolton. Jason trained with the department until the year 2000, when he left to study Fire Protection Technology and attend Seneca College. After graduating, he returned home to work with his father at Ronfeld Electric for a year, before returning to Seneca to take the professional firefighter course. He was hired by the Whitby department in January of 2006 and has been working there ever since.

All of that history, and training, came into play on April 29.

John Bolton happened to be watching the 11pm CHEX TV news from Peterborough last Thursday night when the regional reporter from Oshawa–Whitby came on with a report about the two Whitby Firefighters who won bravery medals.

“That's how I found out. I saw Jason on the screen getting one of the awards. My wife was going to Kingston the next day, and I told her I needed a new shirt because I broke all the buttons on my old because my chest got so puffed out with pride,” John Bolton said.

On a more serious Bolton recalled that Jason Ronfeld had always impressed him with his overall work in the department. North Addington Education Centre helped the fire department's recruiting efforts by offering a credit course in firefighting and “Jason was one of those excellent recruits, who stayed with the department right up until he was hired by the Whitby department. We were proud of him then and we are proud of him, and his parents, now.”

Jason got his start in fire rescue at a house in Kaladar that the department would use for training.

“We would fill it with smoke and send the fighters in to simulate rescues, but I'm sure Jason has had better training since then.”

Photo: L-R Amy Jack, Kyla Gordon, Michael Timmerman, Margo Gallagher, Joan Worsfold, Christian Scheunemann, and Sam McKay, students and volunteers involved in a production of the Grinch who Stole Christmas.

Almost three years ago New Leaf Link (NeLL) came into existence with the goal of bridging a massive service gap for the community of developmentally disabled people in Frontenac County.

“Over the years the school system has really made progress in learning how to integrate developmentally disabled students into the elementary and secondary school panel through the School to Community program, and by allowing developmentally disabled students to remain in school until they reach the age of 20, they have really made a difference in the lives of the students,” said Dr. Karin Steiner, Founding Executive Director of NeLL.

But when those students leave school, there is little support for them and their families in the community. The situation is particularly acute in South Frontenac Township because while services are available in Kingston through Community Living – Kingston, and in Central and North Frontenac through Community Living – North Frontenac, those services are not generally extended to residents of South Frontenac for travel and budgetary reasons.

As well, because NeLL's founding directors come from an educational background and it has found support from members of the local artist community, its focus has been more on bringing educational opportunities to its clients rather than other kinds of physical or life skill related supports.

The program that has developed, and which was marked last week at a Christmas Open House, is a twice-weekly day school that is held at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 am and 2:30 pm. Eight students attend the classes, which focus on the production of artwork, healthy eating and exercise, literacy and functional skills.

Making full use of the kitchen in their home in the basement of St. Paul's, the program includes cooking classes that tie in with the work the class has been doing with the Canadian food pyramid. In the winter/spring session that will begin in January, Local Food will be another aspect of the healthy lifestyle program that will take place.

Because the disabilities that the different students face are so varied, ranging from: autism spectrum conditions, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injury, even blindness, the educational programs are individualized.

Nonetheless, one of the most important aspects of the NeLL classes is the interaction between the students.

There is a palpable feeling of camaraderie between the students, volunteers, and staff at the NeLL classes, and according to Karin Steiner, whose son Nicholas takes part in the program, the human connection between the people in the classes is a major benefit, one that transcends the skills that are taught.

“It took a long time for my son Nicholas, who has autism, to come into his own at Sydenham High School, but he did eventually. When he became too old, there was nothing for him to do but sit at home, and that is no way for someone to move forward. For him, and for everyone in the program, interaction with other people is very important,” she said.

As a charitable not-for-profit corporation, New Leaf Link survives on donations, a few isolated grants, including one from the County of Frontenac's community sustainability initiative, and the efforts of volunteers. The volunteer effort of people such as Joanna (Jo) Lyon, a retired special educator who runs the educational program, and Karin Steiner herself, is what sustains the program, and the long term viability of vital service organizations that are fully staffed by volunteers is always a challenge.

“We know that we are doing something valuable, and it is something that is not done in other places. That's why, although we focus on residents of South Frontenac, we have participants coming from Kingston and Sharbot Lake,” said Steiner.

As the NeLL program wound down for the Christmas break, the Open House last week featured artwork and gift items made by students for sale and the presentation of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”.

The NeLL program, which costs $30 a day, will be starting up again in early January. Anyone interested in the program, or in opportunities to volunteer, is welcome to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-374-3451.

Photo: assisted by Joan Cameron and David Townsend of the SFCSC, Mayor Gary Davison cuts the ribbon inaugurating the former Grace United Church in Sydenham as the SFCSC's new Grace Centre.

Guests gathered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Grace United Church and its rebirth as the Southern Frontenac Community Services Grace Centre on December 7.

The new center will not only house the SFCSC's staff and the bulk of the many important community services it offers, but also hopes to become a focal point in the community where a myriad of arts, community and other social events will take place. “We also hope to create partnerships in the schools to benefit seniors and students as a way to preserve and lengthen history and build a future of this community”, said SFCSC board chair Joan Cameron when she addressed guests on Wednesday evening.

Also invited to speak at the event was Sydenham resident and avid local historian Wilma Kenny, whose ancestors settled in Sydenham over 200 years ago. Kenny spoke of the history of the Sydenham area and said, “The building of Grace United was a key step in the progress of the community and was the first large gathering hall where early setters could congregate.”

Reverend Malcolm Stienburg, a former minister of Grace church, recalled his years there with much humor. He spoke of the day, December 22, 1861 when Bishops Richardson and Smith dedicated the church. “At the time the church was filled to capacity and it was reported that the people here had erected one of the most spacious and best furnished churches in the county built by the forebearers of many who still reside in the community.”

Rev. Stienburg spoke on a more serious note of the new and important role the building will have in the community as the new home for the SFCSC. “It's very good to know that this building is now being used by an organization that is very much involved with real people facing some real difficulties in their lives. In a sense, if you use your imagination there is no difference between what the people of this organization (the SFCSC) do and what Jesus did when washing the feet of his disciples. So while Grace United Church is gone, its good to know this building is going to a cause which has as its goal the helping of men, women, boys and girls. The sermons preached by preachers like myself over many years are now being replaced by a different type of sermon; a sermon in the form of relief, mental and physical, in the form of comfort and peace of mind for people who are experiencing difficulties in their daily living.”

Anne Prichard, representing the Ontario Trillium Foundation, also spoke and announced the SFCSC's successful receipt of a Trillium grant for $69,200, which will be used for the renovations. The grant, together with fundraising efforts to date, has put the corporation close to 50% of the $350,000 total needed to purchase and redo the building.

On that note Mayor Gary Davidson was invited to cut the ribbon officially opening the new centre. Guests were then invited to tour the building, including the former sanctuary, which is currently under renovation. Don Voteary is heading up the renovation project and recently he and his two young apprentices uncovered the sanctuary's original pine flooring, which they are in the process of repairing and refinishing. On a small table Voteary had gathered some of the artifacts he has found in the process including “holy nails”, old square-headed nails found under the church altar, and one very old nickel embossed with a portrait of King Edward and dating back to 1903.

The renovations are slated to be completed a few months into the new year. SFCSC executive director David Townsend summed up the overall excitement felt throughout the evening best. “This building is full of excitement, potential, dreams and visions and I hope we can make them happen for all of us in the near future.”

According to Derreck Roemer, the Lost Highway project had its impetus when his filmmaking partner Neil Graham, who was riding his motorcycle on the stretch of Highway 7 from Peterborough to Ottawa, noticed that once he passed the Tweed turnoff there was very little at the side of the road except some empty shells of former restaurants, motels and gas stations.

Neil Graham knew the local area somewhat, being related to the former owner of what was then the Saylor's Inn near Arden, and the filmmakers wondered if there was a story in the question of what happened to cause this pocket of Eastern Ontario to fall on hard times when it is located in the vicinity of the growth that has characterized southern Ontario for years and years.

“There was an article in the Guardian newspaper (Guardian.co.uk) about a woman living in an old gas station on Route 66 in the United States. Neil sent it to me and said, 'look at this woman'. It made me wonder who we would find by knocking on doors on Highway 7 between Kaladar and Perth,” Derreck Roemer said in a phone interview last week.

The project was kick-started in 2009 when Roemer and Graham interviewed former Reeve and Frontenac County Warden Howard Gibbs at his now closed garage between Arden and Mountain Grove, and Insurgent Productions, Roemer and Graham's production company, recently received funding from TVO to produce an hour-long documentary by the end of 2012 for airing in 2013.

The project also includes a web site and a web forum to collect materials about the Arden region.

“As the project has developed we realized the original idea of looking at the highway between Kaladar and Perth was too broad and we have focused in on Arden,” Roemer said.

One of the elements that has piqued Insurgent Productions’ interest has been the Arden rejuvenation project through the ongoing Friends of Arden project.

The two-man film crew showed up at a meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday, November 22 to film David Dashke and Terry Kennedy from the 'Friends' as they presented an update of recent activities and future plans.

Don Amos and Maribeth Scott from Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) were also a delegation at that council meeting. They presented an update of the NFCS Youth program and Neil Graham quickly turned his camera on them.

“We heard from people in Arden that all the young people are leaving the area as soon as they can and here were people who were trying to give them a reason to stay, so we ended up meeting with Don Amos the next day,” Derreck Roemer said.

At this point the shape of the Lost Highway film is evolving, according to Dereck Roemer. The plan is to structure the film around four or so individual stories, and the filmmakers are casting about for those four stories.

“We are hoping to find a young person to profile, which is what interested us about the youth program,” he said.

To learn more about the local region, Insurgent Projects has rented a house on the Henderson Road, which will serve as a base. They will be there for about a week at a time periodically throughout the next six months or so to get a feel for the local community in the different seasons.

Whether the film ends up delivering a hopeful message about Arden, a forlorn one, or some combination of the two is not yet clear, even to the filmmakers.

“We aren't coming in with a fixed message. We want to look at rural life, the issues that people face here,” he said.

Roemer and Graham made a movie about the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto a few years ago. The Gemini award-winning documentary was about the renovations to what had been a rundown hotel in the Parkdale region of Toronto. It ended up portraying in some detail the lives of the people who had been living in the hotel and were displaced as it was modernized.

It will be interesting to see how the lives of Ardenites are portrayed in “Lost Highway”.

For more information visit: thelosthighway.ca/the-film

Photo: Dedicated volunteers, working on a Tuesday. Sally Young, Cheryl Kellar and Doris Veldman. The store is open Tuesdays from 9-12 and 1-4, nost Mondays, and Friday mornings when the sign is lit up.

Every Tuesday for about 30 years, the old Hartington schoolhouse has been open for business, as volunteers sell clothes and small household items at a very reasonable price to any and all who stop by.

The price is right – some items are individually priced, but for most items it is $5 a bag. With a steady crowd combing through the store, the sales add up, and since all the items are donated and the labour to clean clothes, prepare them for sale, fill the shelves and deal with customers is all done by a crew of volunteers, those sales add up to some real support for people in need.

In the early years only Portland Township residents received support from Community Caring, but ever since municipal amalgamation, the money has been spread throughout South Frontenac Township.

So far in 2011, over $17,000 had been raised. Out of that total, $4,250 has been donated to the Food Bank that is managed by Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS), and $4,000 has gone to a Community Caring fund to provide emergency assistance by paying for heating fuel, hydro and phone bills on a one-time basis for residents in need. This fund is also administered by SFCS. The rest of the money has been split between a number of local organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Society, Loughborough Christmas Committee, the Salvation Army, Almost Home, New Leaf Link, Interval House, and the Volunteer Firefighters Association.

“We decided this year that we wanted most, if not all of the money to stay in the local community, so even the money that went to outside groups is going to be spent on their services in South Frontenac,” said Lory Dark, who is the current Chair of Community Caring.

I met with Lory Dark, who has been working with Community Caring for a little over 4 years, and Elaine St. John, who has been with the organization for under a year. They both have a sense of the history of Community Caring and along with the other 25 volunteers, they are committed to fulfilling the same goals that prompted a few local families to start it up in the first place.

“For many years they also dealt with distributing the money by buying food vouchers for people in need and paying for fuel, etc. but that was eventually turned over to Southern Frontenac Community Services,” said Elaine St. John.

Before we sat down to do the interview, Elaine St. John asked Sally Young, who is the treasurer and was working at the sales desk at the time, what message she wanted to send to the public about the store, which is nicknamed the Hartington Mall.

“Don’t drop off your garbage,” Sally Young said.

“That’s an important point,” Elaine St. John said later. “We depend on donations of clothes and small, working appliances, but we can’t do anything with large appliances, furniture, especially stuffed furniture, and with stuff that really belongs in the dump. When someone drops unwashed dishes off it is not really helpful. Ninety-eight percent of people bring us items that we can sell, but the 2% that don’t can be a real problem.”

In the coming months Community Caring is hoping to make another major change by moving their operation to the Princess Margaret Building, which is located next door to the schoolhouse.

Both buildings are the property of South Frontenac Township. A room in the Princess Margaret building that is about the size of the schoolhouse recently became vacant when the local literacy program lost their funding.

The Princess Margaret Building is warmer than the schoolhouse, and has the added benefit of running water and flush toilets. It is also the home of the Hartington Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

The township has been receptive to Community Caring moving in, but the remaining matter to be worked out is some space for storage and sorting.

If Community Caring does vacate the schoolhouse, it likely won’t remain empty for long. The Portland Historical Society is looking at using the schoolhouse for a museum and storage facility.

“We have some things to work out with the township, but hopefully we will find a new home in the Princess Margaret Building,” said Lory Dark.

CF Council weighs in on Property Standards and Strategic Plan

Chief Building Inspector Jeremy Neven made a presentation to council regarding the property standards by-law currently in place in the township. While Hinchinbrooke and Oso Township had by-laws in place prior to amalgamation, they were not adopted by Central Frontenac after amalgamation.

Currently the Township only has basic safety standard by-laws that pertain to property issues such as garbage, fire and physical hazards. The bylaws do not concern themselves with more aesthetic issues such as derelict roofing, siding, general maintenance and cleanliness and pests.

Following Neven’s presentation, Robert Pollard, a former OPP officer who lives in Central Frontenac and works as a prosecutor on behalf of the Municipality of Bancroft enforcing property standard by-laws there, recommended that council adopt a property standards by-law similar to that of Bancroft and other municipalities like Faraday, Wollaston and Carlow-Mayo.

"Driving through this township you can’t help but notice all of the derelict buildings surrounded by garbage, car parts and other refuse around so many buildings in this municipality. Driving from the south to the north, at almost every intersection there is a derelict building or an abandoned trailer and garbage to the nth degree. For a municipality that is trying to encourage people to settle and locate businesses here, these impressions are lasting. And for that very reason I think you need to adopt a property standards by-law,” Pollard told council.

Pollard came armed with a number of photos of derelict buildings in the township, but council did not want to see the photos.

Following the presentation, councilors weighed in on the matter. Councilor Tom Dewey strongly supported adopting a property standards by-law, while Councilor Norman Guntensperger said he agreed that safety was an issue but otherwise was opposed to measures of conformity.

“I think we need to tread very carefully down the road towards imposing conformity upon people in this municipality, for a number of reasons. People choose to live in the country expecting a certain amount of freedom, and secondly, a number of people who can’t afford what it might cost to replace a roof, for an example, don’t need another added stressor of being forced to do something that they cannot afford to do. For those reasons I will have nothing to do with it," After much debate council passed a motion directing staff to draft a property standards by-law and to host two public consultations on the subject.

Strategic Plan

CAO Shawn Trépanier presented his outline for a strategic plan for the township, which he said would take place in five stages, with the final stage to be completed by October 2012.

The plan would be flexible and be reviewed every few years in order to keep up to date with the goals of the municipality and would be based on information from all over the municipality. Following the presentation council unanimously passed a motion to begin the process of developing a strategic plan.

No blank CF cheques to televison crew

After a heated debate, council defeated a motion to grant funds to The Dimestore Fisherman television program. The show’s producers requested a fee of $11,900 plus the cost of board and lodging for the six days it would take the crew to film a fishing program in the area. They said it would be broadcast 18-20 times over six months in North America.

Mayor Janet Gutowski supported the motion but a number of councilors spoke against it, leading Gutowski to propose amendments designed to make it less expensive for the township, with the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation policy covering some of the costs.

Councilor Guntensperger then challenged Mayor Gutowski because she was trying to propose an amendment while she was chairing the meeting, and the original motion was put to vote and was defeated.

“People in Lanark County have a way of doing things behind your back,” said Gordon Patterson about the fact that no one had told him he was nominated for the 2011 Lanark County Award of Excellence.

He found out about a week and a half ago that he was going to receive the award in recognition of a lifetime of volunteer work with farm groups and a 16-year stint as a municipal politician.

Gord Patterson has lived on the farm his whole life. He bought a farm next to the family farm where he was raised when he was still a young man, and he took over the family farm as well when his parents couldn’t run it any more. His property is located on the Kingston Line, right where Central Frontenac, Tay Valley and Lanark Highlands meet.

“I always say that if I don’t like what they are doing in Lanark County, I will just head over to Central Frontenac to see if they are doing any better,” he said.

He became involved in the Lanark County 4-H club as a child and went on to become a leader for 36 years.

As for his involvement with the Maberly Fair, that started without his knowledge.

“Way back when I was about 28 years old the next-door neighbour came along as I was cutting some trees along the road. He said ‘You may be mad at me because we put you on the Maberly Fair board last night,’ ” he recalls.

He is still on the fair board, as well as the Lanark County Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Lanark County Federation of Agriculture. He was a founding director of the Lanark County Cattlemen’s Association, where he served as president in 1979 and 1980 and was a director of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association for several years as well.

When he talks about the reason he has been so involved in public service, he tells the story of a time when he almost lost the fingers on one hand while working on the farm.

“A new member of the community, someone I had met but did not really know at all, showed up at my place and helped my wife and kids with the chores. I don’t think he had held a shovel in his life, but he kept with it until the syruping was done in the spring. So I figure if a stranger can do that, I can put the time in when I have a chance.”

The man who helped Gord Patterson when he injured his hand was George Braithwaite, who served on council himself for many years and was one of the people who wrote letters in support of Gord’s nomination for the award.

“Gord’s service to his community as a local and county-level politician is arguably his most important legacy,” Braithwaite wrote. “His success in politics attests to his sense of community and reputation as a respected leader who functioned for the general benefit of the wider population … his leadership skills, powers of persuasion and patience became the vital ingredients during the challenging amalgamation experience.”

Gord Patterson was a municipal politician in the years leading up to municipal amalgamation, and was instrumental in giving form to both Lanark Highlands and Tay Valley Townships.

“A lot of people say it ruined the country but we couldn’t carry on as small townships the way we had been,” he says, looking back. “The problems that we have faced since then were because of the downloading, not the amalgamation itself. Fourteen years later we still haven’t gotten out from all those downloaded costs.”

Gord and his wife Beverley continue to run their cow-calf operation and they tap 1,300 trees each spring, with the help of other family members.

While there are a lot of people who enjoy his syrup, he has a special interest in a smaller number, his grandchildren. “The grandchildren like the syrup so I try to make some extra so they will still have some left after I’m gone,” he said.

The awards ceremony took place at a meeting of Lanark County Council on Wednesday, November 23. A number of Gord’s colleagues from the agricultural and political realm, as well as family, were on hand to mark the occasion.

It was enough to swell the head of just about anyone, but ever the resourceful farmer, Gord Patterson has worked out a solution to that problem.

“I certainly had to put on some heavier boots to get me back to earth after all that,” he said.

Photo: Tony Polonio, ”The Training Medic” at Northern Connections in Sharbot Lake

Laughter erupted numerous times during a First Aid/CPR training session at Northern Connections in Sharbot Lake as Tony Polonio of Belleville, a.k.a. the Training Medic, got down on his hands and knees in order to show five trainees the in and outs of proper CPR.

Don't get him wrong: Tony takes his job very seriously but he also brings to his classes a sense of humour that keeps those who attend attentive and interested. Polonio, who also worked for years as a paramedic, is an emergency training specialist, an authorized provider of HeartSafe EMS, an approved First Aid Delivery Organization for the Ontario WSIB and the HRSDC-Labour Program for basic, standard and advanced First Aid. He holds a certificate in Adult Facilitation and has over 17 years of medical experience and training, including a Registered Practical Nursing diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College and an Advanced Medical Care Attendant diploma from Centennial College.

Though the regular HeartSafe clientele list does not usually include the general public, Tony happens to be just one of four out of 400 nation-wide HeartSafe instructors who was granted permission to teach the general public under his own company name. Polonio teaches over 100 classes a year and is a pro. His jovial personality helps to make what might otherwise be a somber and dry information session into a rather uplifting hands-on experience.

On Nov. 18, five people took part in a one-day training session he offered at Northern Connections Adult Learning Centre, which covered all of the First Aid /CPR basics. In the first part of his class he covered the heart and stroke portion of the class, which included heart attack recognition, intervention, CPR (the newest standards), choking intervention for adults, children and infants, as well as stroke recognition and interventions. The afternoon was dedicated to the First Aid portion of his class, which included bleeds, fractures, bone and joint injuries, burns, seizures, diabetic emergencies, anaphylactic shock, asthma attacks and EPI pen administration.

The hands on segment of the course included recovery position practicing, abdominal thrust positioning (formerly known as the Heimlich maneuver), CPR compressions and breathing and as well as demonstrating how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Tony’s goal is to “turn out confident, competent first aiders”. He knows first hand from working as a paramedic that “most of the time when we respond to a call, there is already someone on the scene.”

While he sets high standards in his own classes, he is also very aware of the overall poor showing by Canadians as trained first AID/CPR responders. “Unfortunately Canada is the worst country in the western world for the number of people trained in CPR and First Aid, with only 5-10% of the population trained. That pales in comparison to a country like Germany where in order to be granted a driver’s license and before you can purchase a car you must have CPR/First Aid training and where it is mandatory to have a First Aid kit in your vehicle.”

Asked about the bottom line when it comes to saving a life Tony mentioned the factor of time and spoke of the Chain of Survival. “We push the Chain of Survival in a big way in my class, which boils down to one word ‘Early’: Early 911, Early CPR, Early defibrillation and Early advanced medical care.”

He states a few stats to back that up. In the Province of Ontario someone who suffers SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) has a 3-5% chance of survival. In the City of Ottawa the rate is almost double that. In Ottawa, because of all the levels of government there, there is a higher concentration of people who are trained in First Aid/CPR; there is more access to defibrillators, advanced care paramedics and other reasons. According to Tony that rate jumps to 75% if you happen to experience a SCA in a Canadian casino. “It's because of the Early factor. In casinos you are monitored every single minute and chest compressions on average are started there in under one minute and defibrillation in under two minutes.”

When it comes to having the know how to potentially save a life it looks as though your best bets are 1) getting trained and 2) not hesitating to put what you know into practice.

For anyone who missed the course, St. Lawrence Employment Services will be holding a First Aid and CPR course on December 15 and 16

It is unusual to hear doctors talk about the limitations of their profession.

Dr. Andrew Pipe is well known for his work developing smoking cessation programs, for his role as head of cardiac prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and for work with elite athletes in the Commonwealth and Olympic games.

As part of the message he delivered as the keynote speaker at a Recreation Summit in Smiths Falls last week, he talked about the relative effects of social factors on levels of health as compared to the impact of the health care system.

From a historical perspective, he pointed out that as the result of social factors, including improvements in hygiene and safe drinking water, tuberculosis rates in North America began falling 100 years before there were any treatments for the disease.

“If we had perfect health care - which we can’t afford - but even if somehow we were able to spend the money, we would be able to postpone 8% of deaths. However if we deal with risk factors such as inactivity and poor diets, we can postpone 33% of deaths.

But, he said, our society has become what he termed “hypo-active”. “Two thirds of Canadian children are not active enough for normal growth and development, and two thirds of Canadians are not active enough to derive health benefits from their activity,” he said. “The typical Canadian is less active than a fire hydrant.”

And activity levels in some rural areas are lower than in urban Canada.

For example, Pipe pointed out that in the City of Ottawa the annual death rate from heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in Canada, is 186.5 per 100,000 people. In Eastern Ontario that number is 247.6. At the same time 18.8% of the people in Eastern Ontario are obese and 48.7% are inactive, while in Ottawa the obesity rate is 12.8% and the inactivity rate is 42.4%.

Over 100 people participated in the Recreation Summit. They were a cross section of the population and included high school students, educators, health and social service workers, municipal officials and others. Under the umbrella of the Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, they are committed to promoting health in six areas, including: physical activity /sport /recreation; mental well-being /resiliency; healthy eating habits; tobacco use /exposure and prevention; substance /alcohol misuse prevention and injury prevention.

Lois Dewey, the co-ordinator of the HCP and organiser of the summit, said she was pleased with the results. “We made a number of new partnerships here; it was a wonderful success.”

Dr. Peter Bell and program co-ordinator Laura Baldwin from the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team were among the participants at the summit.

“It was a really good event,” said Dr. Bell, “to put together such a group from across the region all committed to creating opportunities for physical activity. It was quite something.”

The Sharbot Lake Family Health Team has been developing fitness programs and these efforts will be ramped up in the coming months. By partnering with Michelle Greenstreet of Fit Plus Gym, a seniors fitness program is now being offered at the gym and at the Crow Lake Community Centre. Michelle is also available for fitness consultations with seniors.

In partnership with Northern Connections Learning Centre, a Physical Activity Directory for Seniors has been developed.

“We are also developing a walking programme and are starting to work with other groups on an activity day for next spring,” said Laura Baldwin.

The important thing to remember, according to Peter Bell, is that people sometimes need help getting motivated.

“It is not enough to provide information about the health benefits of a more active lifestyle. It is really all about getting people motivated. That’s where the effort lies,” he said.

Jason Ronfeld got his start as a firefighter with the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, where he was a young recruit in the late 1990s, but even before that time he thought about becoming a professional firefighter.

“Fire fighting has always been a passion of mine” he said from his home in Whitby this week, where he now works as a professional firefighter with the Whitby department.

Last Thursday, along with his firefighting partner John Sotirou, Jason received the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery from Lieutenant Governor David Onley for his actions in response to a house fire in Whitby at the end of April.

There is an ongoing investigation into that fire, so Jason could not talk about all the details. He was called into a house “just across from the fire station just after midnight on April 29. There was smoke outside in the air. No fire was visible to us. We knew there were people in the upstairs apartment so we went in and did a search for them. It was very hot and very smoky,” Jason recalls.

The events that took place were described in the citation that accompanied the award last week:

“Fire damage to the staircase was extensive and conditions on the upper floor were extremely hot with zero visibility. The firefighters could see fire above them on the ceiling. During the search for occupants, the firefighters saw that fire was reforming up the staircase, their only exit route. They used water to suppress the fire, which worsened visibility. Nearing the end of the search, Firefighter Ronfeld noticed the air in his self-contained breathing apparatus was getting low. Through their extensive search of the dwelling unit they were able to locate three unresponsive teenagers huddled together. Firefighters Ronfeld and Sotiriou grabbed each teenager and passed them off to firefighters who had now come upstairs to assist with victim removal. Sadly, despite the valiant and selfless efforts of the firefighters, none of the three victims survived. Back outside, the firefighters noticed that their metal buckles and reflective tape on their gear had been discoloured by the intense heat. That was a clear sign of the extreme conditions these two firefighters faced.”

This was the first time that Jason Ronfeld had been called upon to do this kind of rescue. He said that he knew the conditions were extreme and that he was at risk, but "knowing there were people in there and there was a chance to get to them kind of pushed us. Adrenaline, and a lot of training, comes into play at that point. They played a very large role in what we did.”

All of that training began in Jason's senior year at North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) when he was recruited to the Kaladar/Barrie department by then Fire Chief John Bolton. Jason trained with the department until the year 2000, when he left to study Fire Protection Technology and attend Seneca College. After graduating, he returned home to work with his father at Ronfeld Electric for a year, before returning to Seneca to take the professional firefighter course. He was hired by the Whitby department in January of 2006 and has been working there ever since.

All of that history, and training, came into play on April 29.

John Bolton happened to be watching the 11pm CHEX TV news from Peterborough last Thursday night when the regional reporter from Oshawa–Whitby came on with a report about the two Whitby Firefighters who won bravery medals.

“That's how I found out. I saw Jason on the screen getting one of the awards. My wife was going to Kingston the next day, and I told her I needed a new shirt because I broke all the buttons on my old because my chest got so puffed out with pride,” John Bolton said.

On a more serious Bolton recalled that Jason Ronfeld had always impressed him with his overall work in the department. North Addington Education Centre helped the fire department's recruiting efforts by offering a credit course in firefighting and “Jason was one of those excellent recruits, who stayed with the department right up until he was hired by the Whitby department. We were proud of him then and we are proud of him, and his parents, now.”

Jason got his start in fire rescue at a house in Kaladar that the department would use for training.

“We would fill it with smoke and send the fighters in to simulate rescues, but I'm sure Jason has had better training since then.”