Firefighters Fund Panda Warmer For Island Infants
Saanich Firefighter Drew Coleman with a pediatric patient outside of Victoria General Hospital
June 23, 2026— The Professional Fire Fighters of Greater Victoria (PFFGV) are supporting the region’s most vulnerable patients at Victoria General Hospital (VGH), the Island’s referral centre for pediatric care. With a generous donation of $45,433 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, the fire fighters are helping fund an Infant Panda Warmer—a controlled, open-warming environment for newborns who need help maintaining their body temperature after birth or during medical care. Supporting the Labour, Delivery and Recovery Unit (LDR), this advanced piece of equipment provides responsive temperature controls, built-in monitoring of the infant’s skin temperature, and an ergonomic design that allows full access to the baby without interrupting thermal support.
The Infant Panda Warmer uses gentle, radiant heat, helping to prevent hypothermia while allowing clinicians full access to the infant for assessment, stabilization, and treatment. By supporting thermal stability during the critical first moments and hours of life, the Panda Warmer helps protect vulnerable newborns and supports a safe transition for life outside the womb. This crib is used continuously throughout each day in the LDR unit, with about 2,000 infants benefiting from the warmer annually.
“This investment has a profound impact on the care we’re able to provide right here in our community,” says Tertia Ackinclose, Manager of the Perinatal and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at VGH. “This work isn’t possible without the right equipment, and these tools allow our teams to deliver the highest level of specialized care. It strengthens our team’s ability to support newborns in those critical early moments, creating a safe and stable environment from the very start. We are deeply thankful to the fire fighters for their incredible generosity, and to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation for helping make this level of local care possible.”
This contribution continues the fire fighters’ second 10-year $250,000 commitment to pediatric and neonatal care at VGH—renewing their original 2011 pledge to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Since then, they have donated more than $395,000 toward life-saving equipment that improves outcomes for thousands of Island children. While fire fighters from Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, and Esquimalt were early champions of the pediatric commitment, PFFGV is proud to now welcome View Royal, Langford, Colwood, Central Saanich, and Sidney to this growing movement. This pledge will bring PFFGV’s current total to over $145,000.
“The Professional Fire Fighters of Greater Victoria are extraordinary partners in advancing pediatric and neonatal care on Vancouver Island. Their commitment ensures families can access specialized, life-saving care close to home, with the equipment our care teams depend on in the most critical moments,” says Colleen Bronson, Director of Philanthropy at the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “Philanthropy truly moves the needle: donors fund 80% of the equipment in VGH’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and 60% in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This stands as a powerful testament to the profound impact donors and community members like the Professional Fire Fighters have on children’s health across our region.”
Several fire fighters representing the PFFGV celebrated the donation and its impact with a visit to VGH, which included a drive-by parade with fire trucks. Children lined the windows of the Pediatrics Unit to watch the fire trucks circle the hospital, and those well enough to come outside attended the cheque presentation, creating handmade art to show their appreciation for the fire fighters. The event also featured a local mom, Emily Aldridge, who shared the story of her four-year-old sons, Jack and Cooper, and their lifesaving 33-day stay in the NICU after being born at just 31 weeks.
“Today we get to recognize the true heroes in our community, the children and families we meet at Victoria General Hospital,” says Drew Coleman of the Saanich Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation. “We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supports our charitable efforts, and to the dedicated volunteers who give their time to make this work possible. Together, this generosity helps equip our exceptional hospital teams to provide children with the highest level of care right here in our community.”
Nearly 3,000 babies are born at VGH each year, and while most are healthy, some require specialized support in their earliest moments of life. Thanks to expert care teams and donor-funded equipment, 98% of pediatric cases on Vancouver Island are treated right here at VGH—home to one of only four high-level NICUs and two PICUs in the province—so families can access the care they need close to home.
Following the cheque presentation, local fire fighters and members of the PFFGV visited with patients and families in the Pediatric and Neonatal units—a heartfelt conclusion to the celebration and a powerful reminder of the care and community spirit that sustain this enduring partnership.
