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Hospice for first responders opens

Honour House offers aid to injured and their families

EARLY in Brent Wisheart's firefighting career he suffered secondand third-degree burns from a small explosion while extinguishing a fire on a fishing boat.

Wisheart, a Deep Cove resident and the deputy fire chief of New Westminster, was not only lucky to survive the blast, but he was lucky to be a resident of the Lower Mainland. After the accident, medical facilities were nearby and he was never far removed from his friends and family.

As a firefighter, Wisheart is classified as a "first responder." First responders are individuals who are the first to a scene of distress, or who have a job that can become dangerous instantaneously.

Firefighters, police officers, corrections officers, the coast guard, border service officers, sheriffs and ambulance drivers are all deemed to be first responders.

Unfortunately many of these individuals, as well as members of the Canadian military, are not as lucky as Wisheart, and do not live in areas that can provide them with first-class treatment.

As of July 15 that will no longer be an issue, as New Westminster will officially be opening Honour House, a home away from home for first

dfenton@nsnews.com

responders and the Canadian military. Honour House is the first of its kind in Canada.

"It's a place for first responders and military personnel to go to as a hospice when they are injured and they have to go for medical treatment in the Lower Mainland," said Wisheart. "It's a place to stay other than the hospital for them and their family, and it's completely free of charge."

Honour House is an organization created by former Vancouver park commissioner Allan De Genova. After meeting with multiple first responders and military personnel, De Genova was shocked when he found out that there was no suitable housing for those injured and forced to remain in Vancouver for treatment. In 2008, he began the process of creating Honour House

Three years later, Honour House exists in New Westminster. It is a three-storey, 900-square-metre, 10-bedroom converted mansion that can accommodate up to 10 injured first responders and their families.

Wisheart explained that Honour House functions as more than just a residence for the seriously injured.

"Say someone is injured and has some sort of problem, and they have to be in the Lower Mainland for an extended period of time for treatment and they don't have to actually stay at the hospital," he said. "While they're receiving treatment, whether its every day or every second day, then they can stay at Honour House."

Because Honour House can house up to 10 families it also helps create a unique support system for its residents.

"It helps (residents) because they have other families there to support them," said De Genova. "For families, its not just one little hotel room, they have the support of nine other families and that's the magic of it."

For the families of first responders that live in the interior of British Columbia, Honour House will help alleviate the stress of finding affordable accommodations while they visit or accompany their injured loved one's. "Sometimes the unions covered a bit (of the travel costs), but it was always tough for families to come down for five or six days and then come back for further treatment. It was getting tougher and tougher, and the costs were mounting," said De Genova.

Honour House will have its official grand opening on July 15. "It's really exciting as we are the first one in Canada to offer these kinds of services," said Wisheart.

For more information, visit www.honourhouse.ca.