DEER LAKE FIRST NATION – Team Rubicon Canada has deployed a small team alongside Canadian Rangers to support a COVID-19 outbreak response effort in Deer Lake First Nation, following a request for assistance from the community’s Chief and Council.
“On March 16, the Chief and Council of Deer Lake First Nation announced a request for assistance through the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. Team Rubicon is a veterans-led disaster response organization here in Canada and we are part of the emergency management response system for Ontario, we are an NGO and again volunteer,” said Eric Goodwin, incident management team chief.
“That request for assistance was put through to Team Rubicon and we responded to the Chief and Council’s request for assistance within 36 hours. We have been on the ground since March 18.”
With many community members in isolation, Team Rubicon volunteers are assisting with firewood cutting and delivery, and distribution of food and essential goods.
Tasks also include supporting incident management requirements in collaboration with community leaders.
“The community was in dire straits with respect to need for assistance due to the fact that there was a continual spread of the virus through the community and people who were assisting maintaining the critical infrastructure as well as feeding residents and so on as they were undergoing lock-down were starting to burn out,” said Goodwin.
Goodwin went on to praise the efforts of the community leadership and teams dealing with the pandemic as well as the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority’s Nomadic Medical Assistance Teams.
Team Rubicon will continue to provide assistance in the community until March 24, when the Canadian Armed Forces will take over supporting the community.
