Local hero becomes third Canadian firefighter to perish during record-breaking fire season & his family needs help

When an emergency happens and alarms are sounding, men and women across this great nation answer
the call by hopping into action in the service of others. Being a firefighter, whether in a community or
the bush, is a dangerous profession, but that doesn’t stop any of them from kissing their loved ones
goodbye, putting on their gear, and heading out to do their part to save the masses.
Dangers are everywhere, and no one would deny that firefighters have more than their fair share on
their plates with long, ever-changing days. The men and women who train, work hard and become
firefighters know the risk behind the job they’ve chosen, and they are typically a proud bunch, as they
should be.
Since the early fire season began, 11.4 million hectares have been burned across Canada thanks to 4358
fires, per the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre website. Parks Canada saw nearly five million
hectares of land ignite with 57 fires within Canadian park borders. Some provinces saw disastrous land
assault from fires, including Quebec, where 4.7 million hectares burned, the most of all provinces. In
Alberta, where numerous communities faced evacuations leaving thousands of residents finding
temporary homes, over 1.7 million hectares were torched from 758 fires, the second-highest fire total.
British Columbia, which continues to be ravaged, has had over 1,200 fires, the most Canada-wide, with
over 1.4 million hectares burned as of Friday, July 21.
Using historical data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre site, 2023 is the worst year on
record for total area burned since recording began in 1980. The next closest year is 1995, when 7.1
million hectares burned. Given that 11.4 hectares is the current number and is expected to only grow
over the coming weeks, this year’s fire season will be off the charts.
Without the men and women across the country and those who graciously joined the fight from outside
Canada, these fires would have done even more damage than they already have. Communities that
were spared the flames thanks to countless hours of work by front-line workers might not have
survived. Those on the front lines are heroes. They risk everything they have to keep others safe, leaving
their own families and homes behind to do it. Getting to go home after a shift is something everyone
wants, but sadly, not everyone gets to do that.
On July 13, 19-year-old Devyn Gale was tragically killed when a tree pinned her while brush clearing by a
fire outside of Revelstoke, BC, near where she grew up. She was the first wildland firefighter to be killed
in BC in nearly a decade. Two days later, on Saturday, July 15, Adam Yeadon, 25, was killed while battling
the flames in Fort Liard, his community in the Northwest Territories, 37 kilometres north of the BC
border. The young man was a father to a young daughter and was a loving partner.
Four days later, the loss of another hero hit much closer to home as a family man, born and raised in
Whitecourt, working tirelessly to support the wildfire effort in northwestern Alberta, became the third
life taken. On July 19, 2023, Ryan Gould, 41, was providing air support on a wildfire near Haig Lake, by
Peace River, when his Bell 205A helicopter was reported missing. A short time later, the crash site was
discovered, and Gould, the lone occupant, had sadly passed.

A father to two young boys, aged seven and nine, and a husband of nearly fourteen years to his
beautiful bride Carlyn, Gould is an unspeakable loss for his family. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a
father, a co-worker, and a friend.
Gould had dedicated much of his life, the last twenty years, to being a firefighter and defending life and
property from wildfires. Like many who devote their lives to the field, Gould gave up countless hours of
memory-making time with his loved ones so that he could help people he would never meet. Gould is
described by those who knew and loved him as a big guy with a big heart and was nicknamed “Panda”
by his co-workers. His humour and bright blue eyes will never be forgotten, forever remaining as a
memory in their hearts.
Born in Whitecourt in 1982, Gould had recently purchased a farm south of the community for his young
family to lay its roots. To say his family is unprepared for his loss is an understatement. Without Gould,
the family risks losing the farm they call home. A Give Send Go fundraiser was created by Kassidy
Goodyer, with all funds raised going to Ryan’s wife, Carlyn. The fundraiser is titled “Support for Ryan
Gould’s Family” and can be quickly found by typing the title into the Give Send Go main page search. A
celebration of life will be held on August 5 at 1 pm at Anselmo Hall. All are welcome to attend. The
Whitecourt Press wishes to express its deepest sympathies to the families of those lost.