By Helen Lialias in In The Grey
Blog
Recent Stories
Reflection
Preventing a community’s worst day from happening
Wildfires have been growing in intensity and frequency all around the world, and the U.S. state of Colorado is no exception. In the fall of 2020, a small fire started near the East Troublesome Creek in Grand County and was whipped by high winds into the second-most destructive fire in the state’s history. When the … Read More
Reflection
Restoring hope for one proudly Canadian homeowner after the storm
Saturday, May 21st, was a momentous day for Doris McFadden and her family, who live in Peterborough, Ontario. That evening a tornado struck her home, downing a large maple tree and other smaller trees in her backyard. The tornado had also destroyed one shed, severely damaged another, and covered her property in several feet of … Read More
Team Rubicon News
Get to know our COO, Steve MacBeth
We’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to the leadership team, Team Rubicon Canada’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Steve MacBeth. Learn more about our new COO as Team Rubicon Canada takes the next bound. Where did you grow up? I was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. After moving around, my parents settled in Whitby, Ontario, … Read More
Reflection
TEAM RUBICON CANADA REACHES GOAL: 100+ VOLUNTEERS TRAINED IN STOP THE BLEED
In October 2020, a team of Greyshirts deployed in Texas, quickly went from disaster response to life savers in a few short moments. When a young man they were assisting experienced a medical emergency, and began bleeding profusely, the team was able to use their medical knowledge, skills, and the first aid supplies on hand … Read More
Reflection
A Greyshirt Crosses Her Own Rubicon to Help Camp Maple Leaf
The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” is an idiom that implies a person is passing a point of no return. It alludes to the crossing of the Rubicon River by Julius Caesar in January 49 BC. Volunteer Colette Ainsworth had her own “crossing the river” moment when she was part of a team of 22 volunteers … Read More
Reflection
From Flooding to Foodbanks, a Volunteer Earns His Shirt
As an army brat, my parents raised me to see the honour in serving my country at home and abroad. Following retirement after 44+ years of service to Canada in law enforcement, national security, and military operations, I was looking for a volunteering opportunity with an organization involved in truly meaningful work. Lucky enough, I … Read More
Reflections
Reflection
Salvaging service memories after the wildfire
On Monday, June 26th, I had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful Greyshirt experience in the Tantallon region. My assigned task involved performing a sifting operation at a particular residence. To my surprise, I was immediately recognized as I approached the homeowner. The homeowner and I share a unique bond, having served and worked … Read More
Reflection
Fiona’s Fury Final Sitrep
This was my first deployment with Team Rubicon, and I was scared. I got to Prince Edward Island sweating. Some people are still recovering from Fiona’s devastation, and in PEI, it’s not over yet. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I never let that stop me before. Once I stopped sweating, I … Read More
Reflection
Finding a place in the TRibe
I am Matt Ladouceur from Langford, British Columbia. I earned my grey shirt in 2017 on Operation MISERY BAY after learning about Team Rubicon Canada from a friend of a friend and raising my hand a few months after. Just after Christmas day that year, the lake effect dropped 65 inches of snow over Erie, … Read More
Reflection
Battling Fiona’s Fury in PEI
I’m Greyshirt, Sydney Gerzymisch, from the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. In September of this year, I was all set to go to a work event in Charlottetown, PEI. A few days after we arrived, we got the notice that the work event was cancelled due to incoming Hurricane Fiona. So rather than working, we ended … Read More
Reflection
How grace and resiliency can change a traumatic situation
A veteran’s search for service leads her to Kentucky Jayne Reilly served in the Canadian military for seven years, receiving a medical discharge after deploying to Afghanistan. She returned home, joined the Reserves, and became a yoga instructor for the next 15 years. Going from soldier to yoga instructor might seem unusual and weird, but not … Read More
Reflection
Preventing a community’s worst day from happening
Wildfires have been growing in intensity and frequency all around the world, and the U.S. state of Colorado is no exception. In the fall of 2020, a small fire started near the East Troublesome Creek in Grand County and was whipped by high winds into the second-most destructive fire in the state’s history. When the … Read More
Reflection
Restoring hope for one proudly Canadian homeowner after the storm
Saturday, May 21st, was a momentous day for Doris McFadden and her family, who live in Peterborough, Ontario. That evening a tornado struck her home, downing a large maple tree and other smaller trees in her backyard. The tornado had also destroyed one shed, severely damaged another, and covered her property in several feet of … Read More
Reflection
TEAM RUBICON CANADA REACHES GOAL: 100+ VOLUNTEERS TRAINED IN STOP THE BLEED
In October 2020, a team of Greyshirts deployed in Texas, quickly went from disaster response to life savers in a few short moments. When a young man they were assisting experienced a medical emergency, and began bleeding profusely, the team was able to use their medical knowledge, skills, and the first aid supplies on hand … Read More
Reflection
A Greyshirt Crosses Her Own Rubicon to Help Camp Maple Leaf
The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” is an idiom that implies a person is passing a point of no return. It alludes to the crossing of the Rubicon River by Julius Caesar in January 49 BC. Volunteer Colette Ainsworth had her own “crossing the river” moment when she was part of a team of 22 volunteers … Read More
Reflection
From Flooding to Foodbanks, a Volunteer Earns His Shirt
As an army brat, my parents raised me to see the honour in serving my country at home and abroad. Following retirement after 44+ years of service to Canada in law enforcement, national security, and military operations, I was looking for a volunteering opportunity with an organization involved in truly meaningful work. Lucky enough, I … Read More
Reflection
Operation Kumsheen Response: Reflections from Breyan Sinnott
While flying home from Lytton, British Columbia, I reflect on my experiences while serving as a grey shirt deployed with Team Rubicon Canada on Operation Kumsheen Response. I deployed on Operation Kumsheen Response from August 21, 2021 to August 28, 2021. I was a member of Strike Team Alpha, meaning the first team to operate … Read More
Reflection
For Mother’s Day at TRC it’s the gift of volunteering together with family that hits home
For some mothers and daughters, quality time together could be cooking or baking or going out for brunch. For others it’s picking up a chainsaw to clear out debris after a tornado. Their first step, their first taste of solid food, the first day of school, these are some of a mother’s fondest memories of … Read More
Reflection
National Volunteer Month: Greyshirt Spotlight
April is national volunteer month and we’re taking a look at why our Canadian Greyshirts decided to join and volunteer with Team Rubicon Canada (TRC). Our Greyshirt spotlight this month features Eric Depenau who is the Deputy Administrator for the Prince George Metro. He is a Lieutenant in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Primary Reserve and spent time with the BC Wildfire Service from 2011 – 2020. When I joined … Read More
Reflection
Canadian Volunteers Deliver Southern Comfort
Disaster relief volunteers deploy to the American Southeast to help serve survivors of historic hurricane season. Before responding to Hurricane Sally with Team Rubicon, Canadian lawyer Amilah Abd-Al-Rashid had never held a chainsaw. After, she held her Chainsaw 1 qualification, and the knowledge she’d played a part in helping 584 survivors in Florida and Alabama … Read More
Reflection
Hurricane Dorian Volunteer Reflections
Some of our Greyshirts reflect on their time in Abaco, Bahamas during Hurricane Dorian Bahamas Relief operations. I wanted to become involved in Team Rubicon because I was impressed and inspired by what the organization stands for and its stated mission. This was my first deployment, so I came into the operation with an … Read More
Reflection
How One Volunteer Lives by our “Service Above Self” Principle
As Zach Simard, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Team Rubicon Canada (TRC) volunteer, answered the call for help from communities impacted by the 2019 spring floods in Eastern Canada, he faced devastation not just in his own community in Renfrew County, ON, but also his home. It had flooded, forcing him … Read More
Reflection
Reflection: Op Trogon
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be offered a role in Operation Trogon, the TR UK led operation in Haiti, to help respond to the impact of Hurricane Mathew that made landfall there. I was asked to join the Op as a chainsaw specialist due to a need identified by … Read More
Reflection
Reflection: Joy Duggan
I am forever grateful for the opportunity to join Team Rubicon. When I first heard that TR was coming to help out in my hometown of Fort McMurray I assumed they would be like all the other NGO’s out there; well intentioned but of limited effectiveness. My initial perception couldn’t have been further from … Read More
Reflection
Reflection: Op Nirman
As the Sun began to set behind the Himalayan Range, the sounds of drums and singing in the distance welcomed us into a village with very little, yet so much to give. In mid-March, Team Rubicon UK – along with members from Team Rubicon Canada, Australia, USA and Germany – came together in Nepal to … Read More
Reflection
Reflection: Emma Butterfield
The devastation wrought by the earthquake is hard to comprehend: we have driven for hours, through towns, villages, hamlets, all full of collapsing buildings. The roads themselves are scarred with cracks where the earth has just opened up. The disaster has encompassed a huge area. The people of Ecuador have welcomed us into their homes, … Read More
Reflection
Reflection: Georgia Yurwich-Spink
In that strange no man’s land of time between Christmas and New Year, when social events with friends are a blur and there’s a constant drone of Home Alone in the background, it can be hard to think of anything other than what else to do with those turkey leftovers and whether the shop will … Read More
Reflection
No Time to Think
Paddy Trewin joined the British Army in 1978 at the age of 15, but says he wasn’t allowed through the gates until he was 16. He served 23 and a half years with the Royal Green Jackets before retiring in November of 2011, and learned of Team Rubicon through his former regiment. He received an … Read More
Reflection
Returning to Keswick
In December the rainfall in Cumbria was at an unprecedented level as Storm Desmond passed through, causing incredible damage to homes and businesses. News reports showed people using boats to get to their houses to try and salvage anything they could and a great many families will now be spending Christmas in temporary accommodation. As … Read More
History & Culture
History and Culture
And Then There Were Four: Meet the Team Rubicon Canada Staff
We’re thrilled to announce we’ve hit a significant milestone in our growth as a disaster response charity. Team Rubicon Canada officially welcomes three new staff members to our National Headquarters. Our organization is now poised to take on a greater, more impactful role in disaster relief operations in Canada and abroad. Ashley Pardy-Serre, Director … Read More
History and Culture
Deploying Abroad
Deploying internationally is complex and requires a significant amount of planning and coordination. When we arrive on site after a disaster in a foreign country, all eyes and hope have turned to us, expecting immediate action and results. Disasters are no-excuse, results-only zones. Team Rubicon Canada will sort you out with travel and logistics and take … Read More
History and Culture
Deploy in Canada
At the start of 2016, Team Rubicon Canada had only a handful of volunteers; within weeks of Op Pay Dirt in May-June, the ranks of the organization swelled. These volunteers now stand ready and available when their communities are in their greatest need. As we work towards the full launch of Team Rubicon Canada later this year, we expect the deployment pace to accelerate. REGIONAL … Read More
History and Culture
Team Rubicon Canada Spins Up
On May 1st, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta that within days would sweep through the city and destroy more than 2,400 homes and displace more than 80,000 residents. The wildfire, which would come to be known as ‘The Beast’, would eventually grow to nearly 1.5 million acres. Having established a strong … Read More
Stories of Service
Stories of Service
Above and Beyond: Veteran Volunteers Go From Sawyers to First Responders
They weren’t even supposed to be there. Not as a team and not as individuals. Yet somehow the universe conspired to put four veterans—each from a different branch, each from a different part of North America—in front of a home with a downed tree in Orange, TX, in late October and then on top of that … Read More
COVID-19
COVID-19
Operation Bridgegap: Reflections from Ronin Jong
After hearing about the organization during my previous service with another NGO, I joined Team Rubicon Canada (TRC) last year ready to tackle earthquakes, floods, muckouts, tornadoes, and other ‘big’ incidents as I had been doing elsewhere for almost a decade, but with the added TRC ‘secret sauce’. Who better to take on a disaster … Read More
Partner News
Partner News
General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada Announces Support to Team Rubicon Canada
OTTAWA–General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada is pleased to announce its support of Team Rubicon Canada and the important humanitarian work it does globally. General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada will equip Team Rubicon with EmergencySHIELD™ – communications equipment designed for disaster zones – so they can deliver more effective disaster and humanitarian response operations at home and abroad. … Read More
Partner News
BIG News!
We are elated to announce that the Canada Revenue Agency has granted Team Rubicon Canada CHARITABLE STATUS!!! We would like to thank all of our supporters who have contributed to the success of our organization during this process. We could not have achieved this without all of you championing TR the whole way. We would also like … Read More
From the Field
From The Field
Wildfires Bring Humanitarians to Serve a Nova Scotia Community
“The structure was gone in 15 minutes,” said Del Arnold. Everything except the contents of two suitcases had been destroyed in a fire. Arnold’s loss was part of Canada’s worst fire season on record: over 120,000 Canadians evacuated, and more than 20 million acres burned by the end of July. Arnold had recently … Read More
From The Field
In Service, Finding Soul Food
Deploying with Team Rubicon recently I found true soul food—or, food for the soul. But, what is food for the soul? Let me give you just a little taste: It’s community: This is the powerful thing that drives Team Rubicon Greyshirts to the heart of disasters. The external community, in the heart of disaster, is full … Read More
From The Field
Team Rubicon Canada Providing Hurricane Dorian Relief in The Bahamas
Highly trained volunteers with Team Rubicon Canada are currently deployed to The Bahamas to provide disaster relief services in the wake of the devastation brought on by Hurricane Dorian. Led by military veterans and first responders, the team deployed from Canada to Grand Bahama on September 17 to conduct debris removal, expedient home repairs, and … Read More
From The Field
Flood Response in Eastern Canada
In April 2019, snowmelt and rainfall overwhelmed parts of Eastern Canada. Along the Ottawa River, flooding reached record levels as residents struggled to save their homes. As the floodwaters recede, homeowners are facing the continued physical and mental challenges of displacement, and the dangers of infection from contaminated water and mould. Each passing day presents … Read More
From The Field
Team Rubicon Canada Launches Response To Unprecedented Flooding In New Brunswick
New Brunswick is currently entering the Recovery Phase of the worst flooding in the Province’s history, displacing over 1000 people from their homes, and leaving nearly 7000 without electricity. Nearly 140 provincial roads, bridges, and culverts have been affected by the flooding, with more than 100 roads closed. As the waters begin to recede, Team … Read More
From The Field
Team Rubicon Canada Deploys to Brantford, Ontario Following Historic Flooding
Local and regional flooding hit Southern Ontario hard in the past several weeks. Water levels rose seven meters in the Grand River, forcing more than 5,000 people to evacuate their homes. As the ice begins to melt, Team Rubicon Canada, a veteran-led disaster response organization, is preparing to deploy to Brantford to provide immediate response. … Read More
Education
Education
Team Rubicon Canada Rolls Out Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
Last March, Team Rubicon Canada was excited to deliver Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) to 12 Greyshirt volunteers in Calgary. We have a dense population of veterans, first responders and civilians who are regularly exposed to disaster zones, making suicide intervention a life-saving skill for our volunteers to have. What is ASIST? ASIST, … Read More