Red Cross helps provincial fire rangers keep COVID-19 at bay with rapid testing
The Red Cross is running a new program aimed at protecting forest fire rangers throughout northern Ontario from COVID-19 this summer.
It involves offering COVID-19 rapid tests to firefighters at 18 different sites so they can do their jobs knowing they are not at risk of spreading the virus among their colleagues.
At the request of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Red Cross is conducting COVID-19 rapid tests on consenting fire rangers. The initiative launched two weeks ago.
“Fire teams are ... on aircrafts; they’re in vehicles together; they’re also sharing communal base camps, so social distancing can be challenging at times," said Tyler Beaton, an operations manager of the testing location at Cochrane Fire Management Headquarters in Cochrane.
Beaton said the Red Cross has the potential to test people at least twice a week. Results come in about 15 minutes and then the MNRF employees are on their way.
"Each (Red Cross) team has the capacity to do approximately 70 to 80 tests per day," said Beaton.
To date, 750 tests have been conducted.
A media relations specialist with the MNRF told CTV News that most of the forest fire activity is happening west of Thunder Bay, with 69 active fires as of July 8.
Isabelle Chenard said six are being held in the northeast, including four in the Cochrane area, and the others in the Kirkland Lake and Wawa districts.
She said so far this year, Ontario has had 541 forest fires, well above the 10-year average.
“For this year, to date, we have over 112,000 hectares burnt and if you look at the 10-year average (it's) 120,000 hectares," Chenard said.
With all that activity, the hope is the rapid testing might catch asymptotic COVID-19 cases to prevent potential outbreaks that would make it difficult for the province to replace its skilled employees.
The province hires around 750 fire rangers every summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.