Paris Firefighters will face off against County Firefighters in support of Community Living Brant
- Casandra Turnbull
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
The Paris Firefighters mean business. Pictured left to right, Phil Dalpe, Dan Aiston and Nate Ferris
By Casandra Turnbull
Managing Editor
A glorified shiny game has gradually developed into a series of community fundraiser hockey games initiated by local firefighters. Last year, ‘friendly fire’ ignited when Airport Fire Station challenged firefighters from the Paris Station to an open ice pick up game. Family, friends and spectators donated goods to the local food bank, and everyone had a lot of fun. Recognizing the success of that game, and several other games hosted sporadically throughout the last few years, firefighters decided to expand the concept and line up more fundraising games within the county and with other townships, giving them the opportunity to have a little fun on the ice while supporting worthwhile causes in the community. This past weekend, the Paris Station laced up in a fundraising game against the Drumbo Firefighters Association to benefit a local family struggling with mounting health bills. The wildly popular game drew a lot of attention and reaffirmed that fundraisers like this work. Details of the final score, penalties and all the underhanded plays were not available by press deadline! Now, Paris firefighters are sharpening their skates once again for another match up against the Airport Station on April 13th in support of Community Living Brant. The game will give Paris a chance at redemption, having lost the game to Airport last year, by a long shot, said Airport Team Captain Shelby McDonald. He’s Team Airport’s bench captain, leading firefighters representing seven stations: Airport, Mount Pleasant, Burford, Scotland, Cainsville, St. George and Onondaga. “It’s all friendly competition but we have a stacked bench with grinders, snipers and shutdown defense who are all ready to go,” said McDonald. “Paris might bring the style, but we’re bringing the substance, and the scoreboard will back it up!”McDonald speaks with confidence considering his team hasn’t practiced once leading up to the big game this month. Paris on the other hand laced up last weekend against Drumbo firefighters, but said they also enjoyed a long winter season on well-manicured outdoor rinks thanks the volunteer firefighters who maintained the outdoor rinks in town. That is just one edge over the competition.“What we lack for in talent we make up for with heart and determination,” said Richard dela Rosa, team captain. But heart can only get you so far; that’s why the team had to make some crucial changes on the coaching bench. “Last year Coach Logan Barrett, with a megaphone in hand, chirping not only at the opposing team but our team as well was a bit of a distraction,” shared dela Rosa. “Since then, Coach Barrett has been demoted to Assistance Coach/Team Masseuse.”They’ve recruited new head Coach John Barrett, who brings a lot of hockey expertise, as well as Athletic Therapist Mark Robinson and an H20 Specialist, Liam Barnes. All these changes, combined with another year of experience for the rostered players, should improve Paris’ odds at redemption. Pre-game chirping aside, the April 13th game, taking place at the Brant Sports Complex, is an all-hands-on-deck event to raise money for a vital, underfunded organization. Community Living Brant (CBL) provides supports and services to meet the diverse development needs of more than 400 people within the community. The organization has offered programs and services for over 70 years in Brant County and Brantford. Funds generated from the game will go towards supplies for CBL’s outreach Pathways Program, which supports individuals who are unhoused, precariously housed or at risk of losing their housing. In October 2024, the Pathways team celebrated three years of support in the Brantford community. “There is a lot of hype about this game, as so many of the firefighters are so well connected with their community. As such, we are anticipating the public will want to come out, in full force, to show their appreciation and support,” said Kevin Noseworthy, Administrative & Communications Assistant for CBL. He confirmed that CBL will be at the game, welcoming spectators, bringing community awareness to their programs, services and events. They’ll also be a part of the ceremonial puck drop. Firefighter dela Rosa has a special connect to CBL as a past employee. He understands the importance of this organization and how underfunding affects its ability to provide critical support to those in need. “I felt it was important to raise awareness and support such a great organization and individuals. They’ve received minimal increases to their base budgets over the past 30 years, which is unbelievable,” said dela Rosa. “If we can help them in even a small way, they certainly could benefit.”The April 13th game will also feature a silent auction and there will be a fundraising boot set up in the lobby to collect cash donations. Volunteers will also accept non-perishable food donations for the Salvation Army in lieu of admission. The game takes place Sunday, April 13th at 3:30 pm and the community is encouraged to attend.
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