WHL Beyond Hockey: Kevin Bennett – Firefighter

WHL Beyond Hockey is a brand new series celebrating the outstanding community contributions beyond the world of hockey made by those associated with the Western Hockey League. From Officials to Team Doctors, and everywhere in between, countless individuals across the WHL continue to put their best foot forward as they serve their community during this uncertain time.

In this edition of WHL Beyond Hockey, we highlight the dedication of WHL Official Kevin Bennett who is a Firefighter with Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services.

Bennett, now in his 10th season with the WHL Officiating staff,  has attributed the league to many of the friendships he has developed on and off the ice.

“All the friendships I have made over the years, you can’t put words to them, it feels like a family,” Bennett said. “Several of of the guys I have worked with were groomsmen at my wedding as well as one of them was the MC.”

Now in his third year as a Firefighter in Vancouver, B.C., Bennett is committed to protecting those in his community with the rise of the COVID-19 outbreak.

For Bennett, the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been evident for those working in the medical and safety fields. Bennett highlights the many changes to day-to-day procedures for Firefighters in an effort to protect their safety without compromising the essential service they provide.

“Shifts have been changed from 10 to 14-hour-night-shifts to 24-hour shifts,” Bennett said. “Arriving at the hall in the morning, we usually show up 30 minutes before our shift to talk to the crew that is just finishing up their shift about the calls they went on.Now we have been coming in right at shift change and have also been providing a brief hand-off report to limit interaction between crews.”

In terms of how the crew has proceeded with answering medical calls, many of the changes have come down to the sanitization of the fire departments equipment as well taking the best-practice when responding to medical specific calls.

“A full Tyvek suit is donned along with fitted N95 mask, gloves, goggles and a face shield,” Bennett said. “Once the medical call is finished we must remove all the equipment in proper order to not get contaminated.”

A Tyvek suit is a limited-use, one-piece protective suit made of synthetic materials meant to protect the user from particulate matter.

Overall, Bennett highlights how close his fire unithas become with the added precautions as well as noting the team mentality adapted by the crew.

“It has brought everyone closer together in that we have to look out for each other even more then before while also physically distancing ourselves from each other while in quarters,” Bennett said.

The WHL commends Bennett for his continued dedication to keeping those in his home community of Vancouver, B.C. safe as a front line worker helping battle the spread of COVID-19.