Firefighters running Around the Bay race wearing 70 pounds of gear

A group of Ontario firefighters will be running in full bunker gear at Hamilton's Around the Bay Road Race later this month to raise awareness for the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on first responders. 

The firefighters, many of them from Oxford County, will be joined by police officers and paramedics from across the region who will also wear their uniforms. They will take on the 5K race of Around the Bay, which takes place on March 29. 

I'm 160 pounds. That's like half of my body weight. It's going to kick the crap out of me.- Mike Korevaar, firefighter

"It's going to bring a lot of attention when you see all the services running together in a pact," said Mike Korevaar, captain of a Township of South-West Oxford fire station and one of the campaign organizers.

The turnout gear — which includes pants, a coat, a face piece, a balaclava, a helmet and a backpack with the air tank — weighs up to 31 kilograms (70 pounds). It will make the 5K race a physically challenging feat even for the fit firefighters. 

"I'm 160 pounds. That's like half of my body weight," Korevaar said. "It's going to kick the crap out of me."

But it's all for a good cause. In 2014, 26 first responders in Canada, including 17 from Ontario, lost their lives to the traumatic effects of PTSD, according to statistics collected by the organizers.

In addition to the run, the group also started a fundraiser aptly named #911for911. They hope to get 911 people to donate $9.11 each — with a total goal of $8,299 by April 5 — to support the cause.

"[The name] is supposed to be catchy," Korevaar said.

Online donations will be sent to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust, a charity that provides education, training and research about PTSD, as well as support for first responders. Cash donations will be given to the township's critical incident stress management team, which provides counselling to first responders after a traumatic incident.  

In response to the fundraiser, residents have stopped by the fire hall to drop off cash donations and share stories about how first responders impacted their lives, Korevaar said.

"We are always there on the worst day of their life, so they want to support us through our hard times," he said.

The group will also accept cash donations on the day of the race. Spectators at Around the Bay who wish to donate can find anyone wearing the #911for911 hashtag sign.