Mutual aid makes a difference when disaster strikes. What about after?

Bear River Fire Chief David McCormick was building his new garage during a rare day off from work this August when the alert sounded on his pager. A fire had sparked deep in the forest in Nova Scotia’s Digby County.

Chief McCormick, 52, has been a volunteer firefighter for more than half his life, so he’s used to these interruptions. While rushing to the fire station, he called Alex Cranton, 32, the deputy chief at the Annapolis Royal Volunteer Fire Department, just across the county line.