NEWS RELEASE
RAMARA FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES
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In 2017, Ramara Fire and Rescue Services twenty-year program for life safety came to a screeching halt as Stepan Canada dissolved moving back to the parent company in the United States.
Ramara Fire and Rescue Services was able to provide Emergency First Aid and CPR certification to all grade eight students within their municipality, a provincially unprecedented program, because of Stepan Canada’s financial support.
Ramara Fire and Rescue Services negotiated, that if Stepan Canada could financially support the purchase of all required materials and certificates to deliver an Emergency First Aid and CPR program in Ramara, that the fire service would provide its qualified instructors to run the program.
The goal of this program was three-fold; First it offered all grade eight citizens of Ramara the opportunity to learn life saving skills, that would hopefully provide them with an added level of confidence when faced with an emergent situation.
Secondly it would collectively make Ramara Township a safer place for all its, residents, guests and transient population, turning out on average 100 to 150 students a year now qualified to help. Lastly, the program was seen to give the Ramara students, that must continually compete for summer employment within its big neighbour’s boundaries, the City of Orillia, an advantage when it came to filling out the resume and certifications held.
The program was seen by all parties involved to be a win-win investment. Stepan Canada being the continual great corporate citizen they were committed to $5,000 per year for as long as they graced the shores of Lake St John.
In the near 20-year coalition of this corporation and Ramara Fire and Rescue Services, Stepan Canada donated approximately $75,000.
In 2017 Stepan Canada announced that its parent company Stepan Chemical in the U.S.A. would be dissolving the site. So too, in 2017 Ramara Fire and Rescue Services put out one last public plea to all industry and businesses in Ramara Township for financial support of this program or it would certainly face its demise.
Fortunately, another corporate citizen stepped up to the commitment. Alex Geisser, President of Layzee Acres Park and RV Sales, came forth and recognized the value of the program and offered a $5,000 dollar donation. This coupled with new pricing from Red Cross will allow us to continue the program for at least two possibly three years.
Ramara Fire and Rescue Services would like to thank Layzee Acres Park and RV Sales and Alex Geisser for saving this program and affording continued growth to Ramara’s safety and prosperity of its citizens.
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