| Sponsored by the Corporation of the City of
London and CUPE Locals 107 and 101, The Tim Hickman Memorial Health and
Safety Scholarship was established in 2005 in memory of Tim Hickman who
died in service to his community.
Scholarship information on this page includes
application requirements,
Selection Committee member composition and
selection
criteria. The remembrance of Tim you see on the right was written by
his mother Shirley Hickman.
Scholarship recipients
Erica Masur - the 2012 recipient of The Tim Hickman Memorial Health
and Safety Scholarship - graduated from Western in the spring of this
year with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A focus of the nursing
career she has newly embarked upon will be "to advocate, educate and
promote safe and healthy lifestyles and workplaces." Erica's conviction
that preventative measures and education are the way to counterattack
many of the injuries, diseases and untimely deaths that affect our
society is deeply heartfelt. The drowning of a family friend - she was
just 11 at the time - set her on a determined course as a promoter and
exemplar of water safety. Public recognition of her achievements include
winning the Heather MacDougall Memorial Award. Presented by the City of
London Aquatic Services Department , she earned the reward for
facilitating the best water smart public relations campaign during the
summer of 2011 when she was manager the Southcrest pool.
Michelle
Amri - 2010 winner of the Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety
Scholarship - is a University of Western Ontario student entering her
second year of Health Science with a specialization in Health Promotion.
Looking to the future she is unwaveringly focused on a career that has "the
power to drastically improve the quality of life of many individuals." To
this end, one measure Michelle hopes to implement is a basic Workplace
Health and Safety Training certification program for youth between the
ages of 13 and 20. Previous scholarship winners were
Michelle
Amri who was entering her second year of Health Science with a
specialization in Health Promotion when selected as the 2010 recipient
of the Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship. Presented
with the scholarship in prior years were
Martin Badowski
a student in Western's Honours Specialization Health Science
Program; Justin Sharpe
a double major student in Health Sciences and Psychology
at The University of Western Ontario; Paula McFarlane,
a graduate of Fanshawe College's Paramedic Program; and,
Alisha McAllister,
a graduate of The University of Western Ontario's School of Kinesiology
program.
Scope
This annual award of $3,000 is open to all persons currently enrolled full
time in an occupational and or public health and safety related program
at a college or university. This may include occupational safety/health/hygiene,
occupational/physical therapy, nursing, medicine, emergency services or
other related fields.
Applicants must satisfy each of the following criteria:
Be attending a Canadian
college or university in Southwest and Central-West Ontario* region
or be a resident of the
Southwest or Central-West Ontario** region and attending a Canadian
college or university anywhere in Canada as a full time student on January
31 of the year in which they apply for the scholarship.
Applicants must submit:
1. Confirmation of full time enrollment in an accredited Canadian college
or university degree/diploma program in occupational health and safety,
safety management, occupational hygiene, occupational/physical therapy,
nursing, medicine, public health and safety, emergency services, risk
management or related program.
2. A 300 - 500 word essay
detailing a contribution they have already
made to the promotion of occupational or public health and safety
and/or a description for a future promotion or plan they would like to implement
to enhance occupational or public health and safety. Please include specific information such as the
elimination of the hazard and/or magnitude of the risk reduction as
well as the number of people impacted by the contribution.
3. A resume outlining
educational background along with work and volunteer-related experience
plus any special honours or awards.
4. A cover letter which
includes how you became aware of the
Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship.
Applicants can also use the cover letter to provide any additional
information they would like the Selection Committee to consider.
5. Two letters of character reference (one from a representative of
the academic institution e.g., professor, and one of the applicant's
choice who is not a relative.)
Application Submission
The required documentation must be submitted by January 31 of each year
to:
Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship
c/o City of London
Human Resources, Suite 508
300 Dufferin Ave.
P. O. Box 5035
London, ON N6A 4L9
Ownership
All applications, supporting documentation and essays submitted become the
property of the City of London. The scholarship winner's essay may be published
by the City of London together with details of the winner.
The Director of Human Resources will convene a meeting of the Selection
Committee on or before February 28 to select a winner. The Selection Committee
shall be comprised of:
Director of Human Resources
Representative of Human Resources, Occupational
Health and Safety
Representative of the family of Tim Hickman
Representative of CUPE Local 107
Representative of CUPE Local 101
Representative of Environmental and
Engineering Services Department
Representative from the London Chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering (who is not an employee of the City of London)
The Selection Committee will consider the following criteria in determining
the recipient of the scholarship:
1. Significance of the contribution made to health and safety and/or the
viability of the planned contribution.
2. Work or volunteer experience related to serving the community.
3. Character references provided by the applicant.
4. Overall presentation and
professionalism of the candidate's application submissions.
5. Applicants may be requested to attend an interview with the Selection
Committee.
Presentation
The Tim Hickman Memorial Health and Safety Scholarship winner will be invited
to attend City Council for presentation of the award followed by dinner
with Council members and the Selection Committee.
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Timothy James Hickman
March 25, 1975 - April 2, 1996
Tim was an energetic boy. Tim and his brother Michael always had skates
on their feet and a stick in their hands. For hours they played hockey in
the house, backyard and on the streets of the neighbourhood. At a young
age, Tim knew he wanted to play goal, a dream he realized while attending
Laurier Secondary School. He was a team player and he was noted for his
sportsmanship. When Tim won any award for any of his talents, he was very
aware that he was but one member of the team. Friends and family were important
to him and it would be infrequent that he was ever alone.
Tim shared his family with many foster children, including several with
medical or physical disabilities. As part of this extended family, Tim developed
a special gift for assisting people with special needs to do their best
and reach their potential.
Tim's passion for playing hockey led him to his part-time job with the City
of London at Silverwoods Arena. This part-time job gave Tim the chance to
combine his love of sports with his interest in working with people, while
allowing him to pay for his college tuition, car loan on his new jeep and
his interests with sports and his friends.
On March 23, 1996, Tim was working alone as the ice-resurfacing machine
operator. Tim was filling the wash water tank of the gas powered ice resurfacing
machine with hot water. He left the room and returned to find the room filled
with steam and vapours. Gasoline in the tank on the ice resurfacing machine
located next to the wash water tank overheated and vapours made a path to
the nearby natural gas hot water heaters, where they ignited. Tim was caught
in an explosion. He was engulfed in flames. The explosion caused the doors
of the room to blow onto the ice along with flames and smoke. He ran to
alert players and to clear the arena.
The coaches and players on the ice discovered the challenges associated
with evacuating the ice in an emergency. Because of the darkness and the
smoke, exits from the ice were difficult to distinguish from the rest of
the panels surrounding the ice.
A coroner's inquest was held following this incident with 25 recommendations
to improve the safety of arenas and equipment for employees and the public.
Like any tragedy there are many links in the chain that must come together
to prevent it. Remove one of these links and this tragedy could have been
avoided. Links like safety training, properly installed equipment and review
of equipment design which had a bearing on this tragedy.
As part of Tim's legacy his family is working tirelessly to promote occupational
health and safety to workers, employers and the public. They share Tim's
story with students and health and safety consultants to support that education.
His friends gather for a golf tournament each year to remember the good
times they shared with a good friend. The community hosts a hockey tournament
to remember Tim and the lessons learned and to support awareness for arena
safety.
During one interview for an awareness campaign, his brother Michael was
asked what he would miss most. He replied "What I miss most is what I won't
have. Those 50 years that I was suppose to spend with Tim, doing simple
things like sitting on a deck and relaxing with him or going to some graduation
down the road. I'll miss things like that because someone just couldn't
take the time."
Tim's family and his friends are very supportive that the Corporation of
the City of London, and CUPE Locals 107 and 101 are sponsoring this significant
scholarship. The Tim Hickman Memorial Scholarship represents the importance
of raising awareness of occupational health and safety. Your commitment
to workplace health and safety demonstrates how one person can make a difference.
By raising awareness and developing and supporting health and safety policies,
your career path will lead to a solution to the serious issue of workplace
tragedies. That solution is prevention.
Shirley Hickman
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* Eligible universities
and colleges within the Southwest and Central-West Ontario** counties
include:
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University of Western Ontario
University of Guelph
University of Waterloo
University of Windsor
Wilfred Laurier University |
Fanshawe College
Conestoga College
Lambton College
St. Clair College |
** Southwest and Central-West
Ontario is defined as the counties of: Essex, Kent, Middlesex, Lambton,
Elgin, Huron, Perth, Oxford, Wellington, Gray, Bruce and the Region of Waterloo.
(Reference http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/)
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