Roger Cyr Award For Public Safety
Ottawa, April 28, 2009 – A Hamilton man, Tom Allan, has been selected as Operation Lifesaver’s 2009 Roger Cyr Award winner, presented to individuals who reduce highway-railway crossing collisions and trespass incidents.
Mr. Allan, an Operation Lifesaver volunteer presenter since October of 2004, was knighted into the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in 2007 for some 40 years of service and around 25,000 hours of volunteer work. He was St. John Ambulance’s chief training officer for Canada and retired as CN’s Manager of First Aid and Safety.
The announcement was made by Dan Di Tota, national director of OL, during Rail Safety Week April 27-May 3. Last year’s winner was Lorrie Johnston of Saint John, N.B., a 10-year veteran of the New Brunswick Southern Railway short line.
Operation Lifesaver was launched in Canada on Sept. 23, 1981, with the appointment of Mr. Cyr , a 41-year veteran of the railway industry, to the position of national director. He was manager of general claims in the law department of Canadian National, responsible for supervising the investigation and settlement of claims relating to crossing accidents across Canada and within six U.S. states.
Award nominees have to be certified Operation Lifesaver presenters, associates and/or volunteers. The selection panel for the award consists of members of the Operation Lifesaver Program Review Committee.
Operation Lifesaver has helped reduce highway/railway crossing collisions by 74 per cent and has seen significant reductions in trespassing incidents since its founding. The program is co-sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. It is run in cooperation with other national and provincial safety organizations, police and public service groups.
Contact Information:
Roger Cameron
Railway Association of Canada
rogerc@railcan.ca
613-564-8097