P.E.I. firefighter gets big support collecting gear for Mexico

A P.E.I. firefighter is making a big difference far away from home, collecting gear for his colleagues in Mexico.

• P.E.I. Firefighters Association collecting gear for firefighters in Mexico

Kory MacAusland has been collecting spare firefighting equipment since January, on a quest to help out crews he met in that country last fall.

He was in the state of Querétaro running training exercises, and noticed that the gear was worn out to the point of being unsafe.

"One young fella you could see the tears in his bunker pants, you could actually see his denim jeans in it and he's about to go into the fire simulator," remembered MacAusland. "You really do appreciate what you have once you go somewhere like that."

So MacAusland started spreading the word, and the equipment started rolling in.

"100 sets of bunker pants and jackets, there's about 50 helmets, 30 SCBA's (self-contained breathing apparatus), a set of jaws (of life), gloves ... there's more than I could count now," he said.

The donated gear is still safe to use, it just doesn't meet Canadian standards anymore.

Since he started putting the word out, MacAusland has received support from the P.E.I. Firefighters Association, departments all over the country, and ordinary Canadians who have heard about the cause.

"It's really overwhelming how much support there's been, and that's from Gatineau, Quebec, Toronto," said MacAusland. "There's people that have bought brand new gear and sent it, all across Nova Scotia and across the Island."

The equipment is scheduled to be shipped to Mexico at the start of May, and MacAusland is continuing to collect until then.