Since founding the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation for CO Education in 2010, John Gignac has been on a mission to educate Canadians about the dangers of carbon monoxide, and in the process, saving lives.
Gignac, who spent 34 years with the Brantford Fire Department, would experience tragedy that would see him dedicate his life to an important cause.
“Just before I retired from the Brantford Fire Department, my niece Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard, and their two children, Cassie and Jordan, died in Woodstock, Ontario in 2008 because of CO poisoning. Their gas fireplace was backed up, and they didn’t have a carbon monoxide alarm. I felt responsible…given my career [as] I felt I should have been able to warn them. Back then, not many people knew about carbon monoxide…so, I started investigating and [ultimately] founding the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation…and since then, have tried to carry the message forward in their honor to save as many lives as possible,” he said.
To read the full article via the Brant Beacon, please click on the link below:
Saving lives through carbon monoxide awareness
briantrota.com 