Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 3

toward Edmonton to stay with Dr. Tran and his family, who have homes in both Edmonton and Fort McMurray. By early evening, the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta history forced 88,000 people from their homes in Fort McMurray and the surrounding area. It would be months before the dentists could return to their homes and dental practices. Dr. Heinzelman had only the bag of gym clothes that he packed for his weeklong training in Edmonton. “I didn’t have my passport or even street clothes,” he says. “It was a very strange time,” says Dr. Tran. “We didn’t know what was going to happen.” Dr. Tran, who also has a dental practice in Edmonton, hosted his sister and her family for several months. He treated patients from Fort McMurray with urgent care needs in Edmonton. “We worried about our staffs, of course, because, as business owners, we needed to take care of them,” says Dr. Heinzelman. “Even though our businesses were closed, they still had their bills to pay.” He says there was sometimes a feeling of helplessness. Dr. Heinzelman couldn’t return to Fort McMurray when the IV sedation training ended and he didn’t know how long the evacuation would last. He stayed in hotels for a while. “I ended up visiting a friend in Calgary. Then I went to see friends in Kelowna,” says Dr. Heinzelman. “I just bounced around because nobody knew when we were going back. Some people said it would be a week. Others said a month. I travelled back to my hometown, Prince George, and stayed with family for a while.” When asked about how they dealt with uncertainty that summer, the dentists are upbeat. “My house was pretty crowded, but it was an opportunity to spend some real time with my family,” says Dr. Tran. “In moments of crisis, you realize there are more important things than work and money.” “I always try to look at the bright side of things,” says Dr. Heinzelman. “It was summertime, so I drove through the mountains. I tried not to get too caught up in the stress of the situation all day, every day.” Insurance made it possible to pay staff during the interruption of business, so staff didn’t need to apply for EI. “Banks did help us out by deferring payments,” says Dr. Heinzelman. He also felt like there was national support for the people that the fire had displaced. “There were signs in the windows of shops in BC and Alberta that said if you were from Fort McMurray they’d offer a 70% discount, which was really helpful for people,” he says. Residents of Fort McMurray were allowed back through a phased re-entry process according to neighbourhood. Dr. Heinzelman returned the second week of July. “My house was spared, but probably 300 yards away, the whole subdivision When asked about how they dealt with uncertainty that summer, the dentists are upbeat. “My house was pretty crowded, but it was an opportunity to spend some real time with my family,” says Dr. Tran. “In moments of crisis, you realize there are more important things than work and money.” I ssues and P eople