Heroic acts performed during the Fort McMurray fire evacuation have been recognized by Alberta Health Services. A recent Friday event at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre AHS made a special point to give recognition to those who performed selfless acts during the evacuation of the area. Senior operating director David Matear stated that “The evacuation was a massive team effort. We couldn’t have done it without you.” While handing out flags which were flying over the hospital on evacuation day Matear explained that [This was] in recognition of their efforts throughout the evacuation and into the weeks that followed to support and protect staff.”

Alberta Health Services CEO Dr. Verna Yiu also gave praise for the Fort McMurray fire evacuation. Yiu told the participants “I can’t even imagine. What I saw was countless acts of heroism. All of you contributed in one way or another, ensuring our patients were looked after. The toughest part is coming back. But I have the utmost faith that we’ll be fine.” Councillor McGrath was also on hand and discussed the recovery ahead, stating “Without a hospital, we’re not a community. There’s a long road ahead, but certainly the hospital is a big part of that.” During the fire evacuation staff had very little notice or the ability to plan in advance, yet they managed to evacuate over 200 patients safely and more than 400 staff members were also evacuated. This was accomplished in two hours thanks to the heroic efforts of everybody involved.