There are few images which stir the soul, which instil brave thoughts such as first responders on the scene of emergency. The greater the danger, the grander the sacrifice. The eyes of the nation on now on Fort McMurray, its inhabitants, and the saviours of these. While forest fires have alway been a danger in the aforementioned area, this blaze will surely be remembered as the behemoth. Policemen, firemen, paramedics, the army, RCMP—they have aided a mass-scale evacuation. WestJet has poured out volunteer staff and equipment to make this possible. Compassion is living and breathing even today.

This compassion relief demonstrated now in the present is quite similar to the relief that was shown almost a century ago right after the Halifax Explosion happened. The first responders on the past scene were your closest living neighbours and any medical and servicemen personnel who hadn’t died on impact from the explosion. Firemen rushed to put out the burning ship. Even fire companies from Amherst, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick (both more than 200km away) arrived to aid in their crusade. Nearby ships, even those passing through, picked up the wounded and became makeshift hospitals. By nightfall, the train tracks were cleared of debris; and trains from Truro, Kentville, Amherst, Stellarton (Nova Scotia), Sackville, Moncton, Saint John (New Brunswick), and Boston (Massachusetts), brought in emergency relief supplies.

We look back in history; and we see those things that need to change, those things that need not be repeated again. It is many times despairing to see how we don’t change for the better. However, some things should never change such as compassion, a soul aiding another less fortunate one.

If you wish to donate to the Red Cross in their fight to save lives in Fort McMurray, click here. All individual donations will be matched by the Canadian government.