“This is unacceptable,” says Maryanne Pope, widow of Const. John Petropoulos, a Canadian police officer who succumbed to head injuries sustained after falling through an unmarked false ceiling on September 29, 2000.

“As John’s widow, I think one workplace fatality is one too many,” says Pope. “Over 50,000 deaths is shocking. As Board Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund, this stat tells me we all still have a great deal of work to do to get these numbers down.”

There was no safety railing to warn John – or anyone else – of the danger. He was searching a warehouse during the investigation of a suspected break-and-enter. There ended up being no intruder in the building. John was 32.

More than a decade later, the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) raises public awareness about workplace safety issues facing emergency responders – on both sides of the border. The Fund’s 5 TV public service announcements have aired well over half a million times in Canada and parts of the United States. The powerful 10-minute safety video, Put Yourself in Our Boots, is being shown in safety meetings, conferences and community presentations throughout North America.

Since Cst Petropoulos’ death, 1,795 American police officers have died in the line of duty**.

Some of these were preventable, as was Cst Petropoulos’ death.

“There is a myth,” says Pope, “that when a police officer dies in the line of duty, it is tragic, yes – but it is an accepted risk of the job. In reality, many police officer deaths can be prevented, when communities work together to help minimize the risks.”

Pope points to the Jan 21, 2012 death of Officer Garret Davis of the Honolulu Police Department in Hawaii. “Our SLOW DOWN; It’s No Picnic Out Here public service announcement addresses the significant issue of officers getting struck by passing motorists while on the road (either in or out of their police vehicle), carrying out their duties.”

The PSA educates motorists about the importance of slowing down when passing emergency services personnel on the road…and giving them room to work.

Sadly, 11 U.S. police officers were struck and killed in traffic-related incidents in 2010***.

Another way Pope is striving to raise public awareness about workplace issues facing emergency responders is through her creative non-fiction book, A Widow’s Awakening. It was published in 2008 and has sold over 1500 copies. With the audio version now available, the author hopes to reach more people with her message about the horrific personal impacts of a police officer’s death.

“A Widow’s Awakening,” Pope admits, “is not an easy read, I realize that.”

Click here to hear a short audio clip (1 min 30 sec) from A Widow’s Awakening.

“You almost want to apologize,” wrote Michael Platt of the Calgary Sun newspaper, “reading Maryanne Pope’s account of her husband’s death. So vivid is her description, you feel like an intruder…a voyeuristic journey both heart wrenching and uncomfortable.”

“But by demonstrating the reality,” Pope explains, “of the immense impacts on the loved ones left behind, it is my hope that more people will take a moment to stop, look around their workplace from the perspective of an emergency responder who may have to attend during an emergency, and ask themselves: is it safe…for everyone? If not, then make a change.”

“If people make their workplaces safer for emergency responders,” concurs Ian Wilson, Managing Director of the JPMF, “they also make it safer for everybody, including their own employees, visitors and service workers.”

Unfortunately, there are thousands of people struggling to put back together the pieces of their lives, left shattered when a loved one – a police officer or otherwise – went to work and never came home again.

For further information on the JPMF, please visit www.jpmf.ca.

Review copies of A Widow’s Awakening are available upon request. All proceeds from the sale of the book through the JPMF go to the Memorial Fund.

*Source: US Bureau of Labour Statistics and Association of Worker’s Compensation Boards of Canada
**Source: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
***Source: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

To book a media interview with Maryanne Pope, please contact:

As a charitable organization that takes its name from a police officer who died in the line of duty, the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) does this by educating the public about its role in keeping first responders safe on the job, whether it’s making changes at their workplaces or altering their driving habits.

SAFETY RESOURCES

We have several safety resources available to emergency responders, including public service announcements (PSAs), safety videos, posters, brochures and more. We also give safety presentations to corporations, associations, agencies and at conferences.

Here are some resources that may be of interest to you:

Radio & TV PSAs

These 30-second spots are great for raising awareness in your community. View the videos and listen to these radio ads:

• Put Yourself in Our Boots
• Put Yourself in Our Boots: Traffic
• Put Yourself in Our Boots: Cell Phones

Contact radio stations and TV broadcasters in your area about getting air time for these PSAs and feel free to incorporate them into your press releases and media events. You can also share the PSAs online and use the videos in your safety and community presentations.

Print PSAs

These PSAs can be printed in various publications, including newspapers, magazines, newsletters and online. They can also be printed off and used as posters.

• Stay Alert, Pull Over – Police
• Stay Alert, Pull Over – Fire
• Stay Alert, Pull Over – EMS
• Is Your Workplace Safe For Everyone?

Contact publications and websites about using these PSAs and print copies to be posted in your departments, stations and offices.

Safety Video

This 10-minute safety video tells the story of Const. John Petropoulos’ death in the line of duty and offers practical workplace and traffic safety tips. It can be used in safety meetings, training exercises and at community events. It’s available online and on DVD (the DVD also includes our PSAs).

Safety Presentations

The JPMF delivers safety presentations to companies, safety organizations, trade associations and at community events and conferences. The presentations include a screening of our safety video and PSAs, and commentary by a JPMF representative, first responders and safety experts. Contact us if you’d like a public speaker to come to your area or if you would like to participate in a safety presentation. Emergency responders contribute essential safety information during Q&A sessions.

MAKE US YOUR CHARITY OF CHOICE

First responders are excellent members of the community. They give of themselves and their time and don’t think twice about supporting worthwhile causes.

As a charity that supports the work of emergency responders, we humbly ask you to consider making the JPMF your charity of choice when planning fundraisers and community events.

Contributions to the JPMF help us promote our existing safety resources and create new safety initiatives. We value your donations, sponsorships, volunteer time and your ideas – let us know if you have a good idea for a fundraiser or would like us to attend an event in your community.

Stay safe out there!

The JPMF educates the public about their role in keeping emergency responders – including police, firefighters, paramedics and tow truck drivers – safe on the job. Our PSAs raise awareness about workplace and traffic safety issues facing first responders.

Print PSAs

The ads show an emergency vehicle pictured in a car’s side mirror and urge drivers to “Stay Alert” and “Pull Over” when emergency vehicles approach from behind. They also encourage motorists to yield the right of way to emergency vehicles.

The PSAs – featuring police, firefighters and paramedics – also direct readers to the JPMF’s website, where they can learn valuable tips about how to drive when emergency vehicles approach from behind and how to proceed when motorists encounter emergency vehicles and scenes in front of them. The ads are available in various sizes.

Radio PSAs

Complementing our print and TV PSAs, are a series of radio spots that highlight traffic and workplace hazards facing emergency responders. Check out the 30-second PSAs:

• Put Yourself in Our Boots
• Put Yourself in Our Boots: Traffic
• Put Yourself in Our Boots: Cell Phones

TV PSAs

A series of video PSAs are also available.You can view these TV spots – along with our 10-minute safety video – here. BetaSP tapes and MPEG versions of the PSAs are available.

The JPMF currently has no advertising dollars available for these PSAs, but we are hoping they can be used in situations were remnant ad space and unpaid broadcast time are available. We are a charitable organization that relies on the philanthropy of advertisers to help us spread our valuable safety messages.As well, we are open to sponsorship arrangements and agreements.

One was to the Building Operators Association of Calgary and the other was to the Red Deer Chapter of the Alberta Motor Transport Association.

These presentations are a great opportunity for us to connect with people directly and show them our safety videos and resources.

The presentations provide a different perspective on workplace and traffic safety – the perspective of first responders when they’re out on the roads or attending unfamiliar work sites – and they are perfect for corporations, government agencies, safety associations and anyone who has a stake in workplace or traffic safety.

And, while they are an ideal opportunity to spread the JPMF’s safety messages, they’re also very important for what comes back to us.

Q&A sessions and feedback provided during these events give us constructive criticism and safety insights that are invaluable for future safety initiatives. Not only are the presentations educational for those we’re presenting to – they are educational for us. Ultimately, we hope this will allow us to all work towards making roads and workplaces safer for everyone.

A recent example of this dialogue took place during the presentation to the Building Operators Association, when one person brought up the issue of lighting. “It seems that lighting can be a major problem. What is the best way of directing people to light switches?”

That question got the ball rolling.

Sensor lighting is one solution that is brought up in our safety video. Lighted wall switches are another option that was discussed. Proper signage and directions alerting people to the location of light controls is another potential solution. Another person suggested the possibility of legislating sensor lighting in at least one part of every work site, preferably an area that would allow people on scene to see where they could turn on other lights.

“People will do it if it’s a law,” he said. That isn’t always the case. Countless people knowingly and unknowingly break workplace safety laws all the time.

Nonetheless, the initial question led to a good safety discussion. This discussion got us all thinking about safety and solutions for a specific issue. Sometimes discussions like this lead to more concrete solutions – but not always. The main thing, however, is that these conversations get us all thinking about ways of making our roads and workplaces safer. And hopefully when everyone leaves these meetings, they act on some of the solutions that are discussed.

In 2012 we expect to be doing a lot more safety presentations. We are expanding our public speaker program and are planning on traveling across Alberta (and to other parts of Canada and possibly the U.S.).

If you would like to support this program with a donation or by becoming a sponsor, please let us know. Contact us, as well, if you are a first responder or a safety professional who would like to participate in our presentations.

And, of course, if you’d like us to deliver a safety presentation to your company or organization, let us know and we’ll set something up.

Old emails are cleared out to make room for a new batch of 2012 messages. Budgeting and accounting takes place. Seasonal greetings and thank you notes are dispatched. Social networking and news monitoring continues (sadly, two more workplace fatalities have taken place in Alberta this week and a newlywed volunteer firefighter died in an explosion in B.C.).

None of this year-end work is terribly exciting … but, as is the case with maintaining safe workplaces and driving habits, it’s all necessary.

One of the things that happens each year around this time is the completion of grant applications.

At the risk of offending those who love to do paperwork, writing grant applications and reports can be a monotonous task. It often includes a great deal of repetition and requires patience as you attempt to answer similarly-worded questions with a fresh voice.

We’re not complaining … far from it. The JPMF has frequently been a successful recipient of grant funds and we couldn’t do the work we do without them.

And there are some real tangible benefits to completing grant applications and reports. They force you to justify your existence and the work that you do. They require financial awareness and efficiency. And they encourage collaboration.

Every now and then, the grant process also yields compliments and sincere support for your efforts.

Case in point, these excerpts from letters of support for a pair of Community Initiatives Program grant applications:

“The John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) has worked tirelessly for over a decade to eliminate preventable workplace fatalities and injuries to first responders, including police, fire and EMS personnel in Alberta. Their commitment to this injury issue and dedication to quality is demonstrated in every initiative and in their everyday work …. I have worked with  members of the JPMF over several years and have been pleased to help support them as they have developed many effective programs and services directed at workplace safety for first responders.”

- Mandy Fisher, Grant Program Coordinator, Alberta Traffic Safety Fund, Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research

“It is my pleasure to write a letter of support for the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) …. Human Services has been a proud sponsor of the JPMF for several years, and applauds their mission to educate Albertans of their responsibility to make our province a safe and healthy place to work …. We commend JPMF on their commitment to the health and safety of Albertans.”

- Sharon L. Chadwick, Director, Occupational Health and Safety Program Development and Research, Human Services

Thanks to the ACICR and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety for their safety efforts and their continued support of the JPMF.

Apart from just giving us warm fuzzy feelings, these letters of support are an important validation of the work we do. Hopefully, they’ll also help us to be successful in our grant applications. Because, as dull as grant applications can be, they are crucial to helping us achieve our goals and ultimately in helping to keep first responders – and all workers – safe on the job.

We hope you’ll keep this in mind as you conduct your own safety reports and checklists. Tedious as this work can be, it is very important in maintaining safe workplaces and safe roads.

Keep it safe and keep it safe for everyone.

Happy New Year!

If you’ve got any last-minute Christmas shopping to do, come to the market and make sure you stop by our booth and say hi. If you can’t make it but still want to support us with a donation, you can give online. The John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) is now a registered charity and charitable tax receipts are available.

Meanwhile, tune in to 660 News this weekend to hear an interview with JPMF Managing Director Ian Wilson about holiday safety for first responders.

Whether you’re at work, home or behind the wheel, stay safe this holiday season!

The John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) is urging business owners to keep their workplaces safe over the holiday season. At this time of year, many companies add decorations and undergo work site changes in an effort to get into the spirit of the season.

“We endorse this festive spirit, but we want to remind people to make sure their workplaces are safe for everyone, whether its employees, visitors or emergency services personnel who may need to attend your place of work,” says JPMF Managing Director Ian Wilson.

Many businesses are closed for several days or even weeks over the holiday season and that can create potentially deadly hazards if people don’t ensure their workplaces are safe before they close their doors.

“No one expects to have a medical emergency or a fire or a break and enter at their business, but the reality is these things happen and when they do, it’s first responders who have to tend to them,” says Wilson.

“That’s why it’s important to look at your workplace from the perspective of emergency responders.  Can they get in and out safely? Can they get around while carrying someone on a stretcher? Does your workplace have sensor lighting in effect? These are all good questions to consider.”

Meanwhile, the JPMF is also urging motorists to pay attention to emergency vehicles this time of year. Facing adverse weather conditions, increased traffic and the potential for more impaired drivers, this can be an especially challenging time of year for emergency responders, so we hope that you’ll watch out for them this holiday season.

“Slow down when you’re passing emergency scenes and if you can, safely move into another lane and give first responders room to work,” says Wilson.

“When emergency vehicles approach with their lights activated and sirens sounding, yield the right of way. Safely pull over and let them pass. They could be trying to help someone you love.”

For safety tips and more information about the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund, check out our new website at www.jpmf.ca. The newly renovated site is an outstanding resource for workplace and traffic safety videos, tips, news, research and information. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, or to set up an interview, contact:

Ian Wilson

Managing Director

John Petropoulos Memorial Fund

www.jpmf.ca

ian@jpmf.ca

403-891-4269

We’re thrilled to introduce you to a new logo, a new look, a new website and a new way of looking at workplace and traffic safety.

Over the last year, the JPMF has undergone a facelift.

NEW LOGO

We started with our logo. On the left is our old logo and on the right is our new logo:

The wolf is the symbol of the Memorial Fund because it represents what John Petropoulos stood for: leadership, loyalty, commitment, wisdom and an enormous sense of family within the pack. The maple leaves represent Canada and the season of autumn, when John passed away.

The free-flowing shape of the wolf and leaves in the new logo feature a simpler, stronger graphic that increases legibility. This new logo can be found throughout the website, our social networking pages, our newsletter and our promotional materials, including brochures, posters, banners, T-shirts, etc.

NEW WEBSITE

You’ll also notice some big changes on our website. We won’t point out all the changes, but we’ll let you know about the major changes.

Our homepage introduces users to a clean, modern look and a masthead that features the tagline “Protecting those who protect you.” These five words describe the work of the JPMF and serve as a call to action: we hope you’ll take steps to help eliminate preventable fatalities and injuries to emergency responders.

The homepage also features easy to navigate banners that link readers to the most popular areas of the website, including pages highlighting safety tips, safety videos, donation information and volunteer events. As well, the homepage links to the latest news, views and events from the JPMF.

The safety video page shows off all of our public service announcements and our 10-minute Put Yourself in Our Boots safety video. You can view these videos full screen, comment on them, share them online and “Like” them on Facebook.

Our safety tips page provides simple and practical tips you can implement at your workplace and when you’re behind the wheel. The tips are divided into workplace safety tips and traffic safety tips. Other great safety resources can be found in the sidebar.

The newsroom has also undergone a significant overhaul. New and exciting changes have transformed this page into The Howling Wolf, the new voice of the JPMF. A wolf’s howl attracts other members of the pack, invites communication and creates a strong bond between pack members. We hope this blog will have the same impact on emergency responders, workplace safety professionals and traffic safety advocates, bringing us all together in the same pack and providing valuable information about workplace safety issues affecting first responders. Check in frequently for updates on JPMF events and initiatives, interesting research and to add your own howl to our pack.

Donors, sponsors and volunteers should also have an easier time navigating our website and finding information about how to support the Memorial Fund. As a Canadian registered charity, we’re now set up to give out charitable receipts and receive donations through CanadaHelps.org. Just follow the links through our website or search for “JPMF” in the CanadaHelps.org search engine and follow the instructions. It’s quick, easy and a charitable receipt will be emailed to you in no time.

That’s a quick overview of the major changes to the website, but check in often for more information on different ways you can use this website and the safety resources found here.

NEW PERSPECTIVE

The website isn’t the only way to experience what the JPMF has to offer. Along with the changes outlined above, the Memorial Fund will remain active on the social networking front, Facebooking and Tweeting information of interest to our followers.

We’re also bringing back our e-newsletter, which will update subscribers about safety initiatives, JPMF events and other first responder news on a monthly basis. Subscribe to the e-newsletter to receive these updates.

As well, the JPMF is expanding its safety presentation program in 2012. The safety presentations will deliver workplace and traffic safety messages from a fresh perspective. Featuring safety professionals, emergency responders and impactful safety videos, the presentations provide tangible tips and tools you can use to make your workplace safer. Let us know if you’d like us to pay you a visit.

In the meantime, you can also watch for us in the news, check out our advertising campaigns, listen for our public service announcements (PSAs) on the radio and watch for our PSAs on TV.

And, of course, pop by jpmf.ca frequently to see what we’re up to.

“I’m extremely excited and honoured to receive the award,” says Katherine, adding the $1,000 scholarship will help to lighten the load and stress of university expenses.

“I have truly loved every year of the Criminal Justice program more than the last. The program is exciting and challenging.”

Next up for Katherine is a trip down under. She’s been accepted to study for one semester at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.

“They have a very similar justice studies program to Mount Royal and I am really looking forward to the experience,” says Katherine, who is also currently competing for a practicum placement for September 2012 which would help finish off her fourth year in the program.

Upon graduation in 2013, Katherine hopes to get a job in youth corrections and eventually enter a Master’s program at the University of British Columbia.

“We congratulate Katherine on her achievements so far and wish her further success as she continues her justice studies and pursues a career in youth corrections,” says Ian Wilson, Managing Director of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund.

“We are very proud of the strong relationship we have with Mount Royal University’s Criminal Justice program and are pleased to play a small role in the success of these outstanding students.”

John Petropoulos obtained his Diploma in Criminology from Mount Royal before becoming a Calgary Police Service constable in 1996.

He passed away in the line of duty on Sept. 29, 2000 while investigating a break and enter complaint at a warehouse.

John stepped through a false ceiling, fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and succumbed to brain injuries.

There was no safety railing to warn him of the danger and there was no intruder in the building. He was 32.

The John Petropoulos Memorial Scholarship awards $1,000 annually to a Criminal Justice/Justice Studies student at Mount Royal University.
It is awarded based on academic merit and community involvement.

Make Your Workplace Safe for Everyone

This TV spot – the first PSA created by the JPMF – is a highly emotional and personal message that focuses on the relationship between John Petropoulos and his wife Maryanne Pope, as well as his pursuit of his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. This is contrasted with images of John’s funeral and the impact his death had on Maryanne. The purpose of the PSA is to convey the importance of making workplaces safe for everyone, including emergency responders.