Oak Bay firefighters growing moustaches for a good cause

Members of the Oak Bay Fire Department are either growing facial hair or donating money for a good cause this month.

Jason Hodge, executive director of the Oak Bay Firefighters Charitable Foundation, is one of the four Oak Bay firefighters growing a moustache as part of Movember, which raises money to help address men’s health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer, as well as suicide prevention.

“It’s a great cause,” said Hodge. “A lot of guys don’t go to the doctor as much as they should, and prostate cancer is an easy one to be detected.”

According to the federal government, prostate cancer is the number one cancer in men and the fourth most common cancer in Canada. Approximately 99 per cent of prostate cancers occur in men over 50 years old.

Along with Hodge, Oak Bay firefighters Kyle Beaumont, Trent Frenkel and Duane Adsett have also created profiles on ca.movember.com, where money can be donated directly to them by searching ‘Oak Bay Fire Fighters.’

The Oak Bay Fire Department hopes to raise at least $500. As of Nov. 2, the four firefighters have already raised $120.

To help raise awareness about Movember, the fire department has also placed vinyl moustaches on the bumpers of their firetrucks.

The Movember Foundation has funded over 1,200 projects across 20 countries since 2003.

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