CALGARY – You can expect to see more bald firefighters around Calgary the next few weeks.
The Calgary Fire Department broke a record Saturday in their fight against cancer fundraiser.
329 firefighters and cancer fighters of all ages had their heads shaved simultaneously, and they managed to triple their original fundraising goal. This year they reached over $120,000.
The mass head-shaving took place at the fire training academy in the city’s southeast.
For many firefighters, the effort to battle cancer is a personal one.
“As firefighters, we accept many risks as part of our job. As part of our duty to ensure the safety of Calgarians, one of the long-term risks of this profession is being exposed to potentially harmful carcinogens. This is one of the reasons this cause is so important to members of the Calgary Fire Department. And why we wanted to support this event,” fire chief Steve Dongworth said.
“I am tremendously proud of the the fundraising response as well. I think the initial (goal) was $40,000 and I think we tripled that,” Donworth said.
Money raised from the fundraiser goes towards the Canadian Cancer Society.
The current world record for most heads shaved simultaneously sits at 267 and was set by police officers in Ontario in May 2015.
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