The name of a former Collingwood Fire Captain has been added to the national and international memorials for fallen firefighters, recognizing his death from pancreatic cancer as a line-of-duty death.
Paul Hurst's name appears on monuments in Ottawa and Colorado, following ceremonies that took place last month.
Donna Hurst, Paul's widow, attended both ceremonies with their children Shelley and Andrew.
Donna said the services were well done and honoured the fallen firefighters.
"During one of the speeches, it was said, 'Our union is a family, and the loss of a member is felt across our organization, but no one bears that sacrifice more deeply than the families they leave behind,'" relayed Donna.
In Colorado, Donna and her children found Chief John Dance's name on the memorial. He was a former Collingwood chief who died on Sept. 7, 1977 after collapsing at the scene of a shed fire.
"We also saw the names of the almost 400 New York firefighters who died during the attacks in September 2001," said Donna.
Paul Hurst died June 18, 2021 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. His death was marked by a wave of sympathy for his widow and a community-wide remembrance and grieving over the loss of a friend and active volunteer.
Three years after his death, Hurst's name was added to the Ontario memorial for fallen firefighters and his fatal cancer was officially recognized as a line-of-duty death.
Paul grew up in Collingwood, living on Minnesota street for his whole life, first in his family home, then in the home directly next door. He started working for the town as a desk clerk, working up to deputy clerk, then joining the Collingwood Fire Department in 1973, where he stayed until he retired in July of 2000.
Hurst was a captain at the department when both the current chief, Dan Thurman, and the current deputy chief, Stephen Emo, started at the local station as firefighters. Both remember his kindness, advice, and concern for new recruits' safety.
"He was a very proud firefighter," said Paul's son, Andrew Hurst, who is also a firefighter. "He really, really liked his job and really enjoyed working for the Town of Collingwood. That was a big deal, helping people and just paying back."
Hurst's recognition on the Ontario, Canadian and International fallen firefighters memorials was thanks to advocacy work by the Collingwood Fire Department and Andrew Hurst.
When Paul died, pancreatic cancer wasn't recognized in Ontario as one of the cancers that firefighters can get because of exposure while in the line of duty.