A strangely electric combination of urgency and pride was in the air at HMCS Cataraqui, Kingston's naval reserve headquarters, on Friday morning, Oct. 23, 2026.
Canadian Blood Services employees and volunteers cheerfully greeted military personnel at the drill hall door, guiding them through registration and screening. Nearby, donors rolled up their sleeves and settled onto donation beds, eager to do something meaningful in the aftermath of tragedy.
Six days ago, a fire swept through a military training area at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright, Alberta, killing four Canadian soldiers and injuring dozens more. For Canadian Armed Forces members in Kingston, many of whom had trained at Wainwright themselves, the tragedy hit close to home despite the thousands of kilometres separating the bases.
"It could have been one of us," said Colonel Guillaume Grenier-Lachance, commander of CFB Kingston. "These are our brothers and sisters in arms."
Col. Grenier-Lachance said military personnel began discussing ways to help almost immediately. The idea for Friday's blood drive came from soldiers, sailors, and aviators themselves.
"Sometimes we feel a bit powerless," he said. "We feel bad that those things are happening, and people are trying to find a way, an outlet, to be part of this greater [effort]."
"We wish we could all have been there to help," he added.
In that spirit, the base's operations staff contacted Canadian Blood Services, which quickly agreed to organize the clinic. Within hours, military donors had booked every available appointment.
A familiar place, a shared loss
"With what happened in Wainwright, I just wanted to do my part," Sergeant Audrey Blanchet told Kingstonist as she reclined on a donation bed, her blood collecting in a bag beside her.
Sgt. Blanchet, who works at the Royal Military College of Canada, was making her 12th blood donation. She had already scheduled another appointment for January but cancelled that one so she could join her colleagues in honouring those affected by the tragedy.
She knows Wainwright well, having participated in training exercises there while serving at CFB Shilo in Manitoba and CFB Petawawa in Ontario.
Although the sprawling Alberta training facility may be unfamiliar to many Canadians, it plays an important role in preparing soldiers for military operations.
"Being in the Army, it's kind of a normal process in your career to cycle through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright," said Col. Grenier-Lachance, who trained there repeatedly, including before deployments to Afghanistan.
When soldiers heard about the fire, many could immediately picture the terrain and conditions they had encountered during their own training.
Across the aisle, Base Chief Warrant Officer Ryan Gallagher also gave blood while discussing the tragedy
He recalled how Canadian units frequently travelled to Wainwright to prepare for deployments to Afghanistan.
On Friday, however, he focused on a different kind of service, explaining that CFB Kingston normally hosts quarterly blood donation clinics, allowing military personnel to donate despite demanding schedules. This time, the command team wanted to demonstrate solidarity with those affected by the fire.
Asked what message he would send to the soldiers and families in Alberta, Chief Warrant Officer Gallagher answered simply.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families."
Four soldiers killed, dozens injured
The fire on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, killed Sergeant Morgan Wong, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding, and Private Hayden Lykkemark.
Dozens of others suffered injuries, including serious burns. On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, the Department of National Defence reported that 27 injured military members remained hospitalized, while another 12 had left hospital.
In a separate statement on Thursday, Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan confirmed the fire began on an automatic grenade launcher range during routine training.
The fire remained within a designated danger area, restricting firefighters' ability to suppress it directly. They monitored the blaze until changing winds dramatically increased its intensity and speed.
Military police continue investigating the tragedy.
Col. Grenier-Lachance acknowledged that military personnel understand the risks inherent in training to defend Canada. But that understanding does little to diminish the grief when tragedy strikes.
For Kingston personnel, Friday's clinic provided a way to help their brothers and sisters in arms.
Too many volunteers, not enough appointments
Donors booked all 32 available appointments, leaving some military members searching for another opportunity.
Among them was Lieutenant Brady Potter, a public affairs officer with Canadian Army Support Division Headquarters at CFB Kingston.
Originally from Edmonton, Lt. Potter learned the importance of blood donation from his mother, a regular donor who invited him to accompany her to a clinic during a summer visit home.
He agreed and made his first donation.
Since moving to Kingston, Lt. Potter hadn't donated again, but the Wainwright tragedy gave him renewed motivation.
"I really tried to book an appointment today," he said, explaining that every available space disappeared in approximately an hour.
He planned to attend another Kingston-area clinic instead.
For Lt. Potter, the tragedy in his home province carried particular weight.
"I was feeling just a sense of loss for my colleagues, my friends who were impacted," he said. "It's such a small community, really."
Military personnel frequently cross paths during training, postings, and deployments, creating relationships that extend across the country.
Lt. Potter said Kingston's response demonstrated how eager service members were to support one another.
Turning compassion into action
Tahawar Rana, community development manager with Canadian Blood Services, welcomed the military community's enthusiastic response.
He extended his sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of those killed and injured at Wainwright.
"Here, you can see they are turning their compassion into reality," he said.
Rana highlighted the longstanding relationship between Canadian Blood Services and the Canadian Armed Forces. Since 2006, military members have made more than 70,000 blood and plasma donations.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining a reliable blood supply for both emergencies and patients' everyday needs.
Following the Wainwright fire, Canadian Blood Services contacted Alberta hospitals to monitor their requirements.
"That is why it's extremely important to make sure that we have a healthy and strong blood supply available all the time," Rana said.
Kingston's donations will contribute to Canada's national blood supply rather than necessarily going directly to the injured soldiers in Alberta.
Canadian Blood Services has also created a dedicated webpage encouraging donations under the message, "For Wainwright. For each other. For Canada."
Rana encouraged Canadians to consider donating, even if they have questions about eligibility.
Although Friday's clinic was reserved for military personnel, several upcoming Kingston-area events offer opportunities for the public.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, Canadian Blood Services will join 98.3 FLY-FM for Reid and Ben's 14th annual Halloween Blood Drive at Bayridge Secondary School, 1059 Taylor-Kidd Boulevard, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Another clinic is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at Queen's University.
The permanent Kingston donor centre at 850 Gardiners Road also offers regular appointments on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with some Saturday availability.
People can find locations, check eligibility, and book appointments through blood.ca or the GiveBlood app, or by calling 1-888-236-6283.
Turning helplessness into action
For Col. Grenier-Lachance, Friday's gathering offered military personnel something constructive to do as they struggled with news of the tragedy.
"The grieving process, of course, takes time," he said.
But bringing soldiers, sailors, and aviators together for a shared act of service connected them not only as military members, but as Canadians.
The base commander said civilians had approached him in recent days to express gratitude for the Armed Forces.
He appreciated their support, but wished such connections didn't so often arise from tragedy.
"We're in uniform... We serve Canadians, and that's what we're happy to do," Col. Grenier-Lachance said.
On Friday, the small hall at HMCS Cataraqui offered a contrasting picture to the devastation at Wainwright. Volunteers welcomed donors while military members lay side by side, regardless of rank.
Even those who couldn't secure appointments sought another opportunity to help.
Nothing can undo the loss of four soldiers or erase the suffering of those still recovering --- but in Kingston, military members found a way to honour their colleagues through an act of service that civilians, too, can embrace, transforming grief into something that might save a life.
By Michelle Dorey Forestell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Kingstonist