As the Emergency Response Coordinator, Dave inspires others to train diligently in order to be prepared in the unlikely event that an emergency or disaster takes place on our campus of care. He is disciplined to stay current in his own training, and in training the entire staff team of 700. It was this training that saved lives when, on two separate occasions in 2023, fire broke out in resident areas.

Dave immediately stepped in and took care of the needs of the residents and staff. He responded in the dark hours of the night and was the primary liaison with the Abbotsford Fire Department. He handled the emergency with a professionalism that instilled confidence in the team around him as well as residents and families who were emotionally impacted.

After the urgency was addressed, Dave came in on the weekends and evenings to mitigate the damage on both residents and staff, liaising with the contractors to ensure resident and staff spaces were restored as soon as possible. He put in extra effort to communicate with staff and families regularly, transparently and clearly as he worked to rebuild and restore – all the time with a resident and family-centred perspective. During these incidents and restoration, our staff found energy and confidence through Dave’s leadership. They expressed gratitude toward him as he thoughtfully and skillfully led them through the steps of emergency response, interim safety plans and restoration.


Dave responds in the middle of the night, early morning and weekends. He will not leave the scene when his expertise and liaison abilities are required. He trains our staff team for emergency response for all shifts, including night shift, which was the shift that responded exactly as they were trained to rescue and save the life of a resident. Their trained response prevented the spread of fire to other rooms and saved the lives of our residents. His communication gave residents, families and staff confidence that we are effective in the event of an emergency. Dave's building systems include the video footage that gave us a clear picture of the fire danger and provided the fire department with evidence as to the source of the fire. Moving forward, Dave has put into place safeguards that will prevent this type of incident to the best of our abilities.

Submitted by fellow employee Jeff Derbyshire

Endorsements:

We all sleep at night knowing we have Dave, whom we trust to address risks and emergencies. He prepares us, and we trust him completely.

-Sharon Simpson, Director, Community Enrichment

Dave is consistently positive with a steady smile. He is the first to arrive, humbly saying that he has a job to get done, even in the face of an emergency or disaster. He safeguards our staff and residents, providing trustworthy resident and family-centred care.

-Sujata Connors, CEO

Dave is an integral member of the Menno Place team and actively lives a commitment to the vision, mission and values of Menno Place. I trust him as he leads and supports the continuous quality improvement of our services.

- Bas Kervel, Director, Support Services