Annex Business Media: Podcasts

Firefighters should brace for more forest and wildland blazes across Canada in future years because it will be the new norm as climate change takes hold. Wildland fire experts and ecologists warn that wildfires will likely become more widespread and destruction will become more severe during the summer months in Canada. Fire Fighting in Canada editor Grant Cameron spoke about the issue with Mike F...

In our premier podcast episode, we talk with Les Tomlin, president and co-founder of PizzaForno, a Canadian company that introduced an automated vending machine that cooks and dispenses pizza at five locations in the Toronto area. Canadians Les and William Moyer together created a version of an oven based on patented technology from SAS Adial, which is based in France. Les joins us to talk about t...

20/20: focus on safety features compelling conversations, generated by questions from you, OHS Canada readers, visitors and social media members. Each podcast features a “hot topic” affecting Canada’s safety landscape, with advice and tips from industry experts. Every episode will hopefully entertain you, and will definitely inform you about the timely issues you need to know about. New episodes w...

Massage therapists frequently experience strained relationships with the public and media. Associations with the sex trade, sexual abuse, alternative therapies and insurance fraud have hurt the profession. Practitioners can influence public perception by reaching out to the media while sending the right messages to the front line of their practice. In this edition of On the Table, we speak with RM...

Twenty-eight years ago, at the age of 14, Tyler Pelke, deputy fire chief at the City of Red Deer Emergency Services in Alberta, went through a horrific ordeal. An assailant murdered his friend, assaulted Tyler, slit his throat, threw a blanket on him, doused it with gas, set him on fire and left him to die. Somehow, Tyler survived the violent attack. His assailant was caught and sent to prison. La...

Cybercrime and financial investigation topic.

Without provincial health funding, clients of RMTs rely heavily on employee health benefit plans (EHBPs) to finance their massage therapy care. Worker's compensation and auto-insurance are reportedly tough to work with, and increasingly insurers attempt to position themselves as guardians of health care funding. With adversity rising in relations with some insurers, practitioners worry for this so...

Despite massive leaps forward in the world of technology, information sharing and an increasingly sophisticated cyber platform for crime to take place, “the essence of an investigation still needs to be that thorough search for the truth, that analysis of the available intelligence in evidence, and trying to make sense of the objective in mind to hopefully secure the investigation,” says Mick Cree...

The founder and former president of both Frisco Bay Industries and AlarmForce Industries, and now president and CEO of Think Protection, which he co-founded with his son Adam, talks about how he got started in the industry, his approach to marketing security services, and his views on how the alarm monitoring business is evolving today.

A Canadian study is calling for the creation of a national firefighter wellness surveillance system to help address soaring cancer rates and other key firefighter health risks. The study looked at 10 years of firefighter health and injury data and found that cancer caused more than 86 per cent of firefighter fatalities – overtaking cardiovascular disease as the top killer of Canadian firefighters....

A Canadian study is calling for the creation of a national firefighter wellness surveillance system to help address soaring cancer rates and other key firefighter health risks. The study looked at 10 years of firefighter health and injury data and found that cancer caused more than 86 per cent of firefighter fatalities – overtaking cardiovascular disease as the top killer of Canadian firefighters....

After spending years working at Best Buy and ADT, self-proclaimed self-starter Virgil Reed decided to go out on his own and launch a security company in Saskatoon. Today, Reed Security is operating in Regina and Print Alberta, Sask., as well as in Calgary. Learn how Virgil saw a gap in in the market is now competing against the large nationals and the local telco.

Firefighters don’t like to show their weaknesses or vulnerabilities. They often keep their problems to themselves instead of reaching out for help. That’s what happened to Chris Howe, an acting captain with the Niagara Falls Fire Department. He suffered from mental health issues and became an alcoholic and drug addict and was suicidal. One day, though, he reached out and found help. Chris talks to...

While the action on the ground happens locally, a lot of important policy matters are taking shape at the federal level. Provinces nationwide have faced tremendous tragedies over the last five years, such as wildfires in the West, the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster and Humboldt. These disasters have increased the importance of federal policy, shared Tina Saryeddine, executive director of the Canadian...

What is the status of today’s volunteer fire service in Canada? Take a look through the eyes of Fire Fighting in Canada Volunteer Vision columnists Tom DeSorcy and Vince Mackenzie; two chiefs at the heart of volunteer fire service delivery. Recruitment, retention, increased training demands and an ageing membership will form the conversation alongside succession planning and meeting the needs of t...

From wildfires to floods, the nature of emergencies in Canada appear to be increasing in prevalence and damage. Is your department ready for a catastrophic event? Emergency preparedness, mitigation and management are critical cornerstones for fire departments coast to coast. Fire Fighting in Canada has brought two geographical perspectives to the table through one compelling conversation with Fire...