The Alberta First Responders Association (AFRA) quickly changed the fundraising aim of a Spruce Grove barbecue when news broke of two corrections officers who died on duty last week. The “Barbecue for the Brave” was initially planned to support the AFRA’s mandate for first responder mental health, president Jerry Galliford explained on Saturday. The group pivoted to raise funds for the officers’ family members, instead. “We made the decision on our own, because we know there’s going to be a gap between resources that the government will provide them and the loss of wages. So we wanted to fill the gap for them,” Galliford explained. Nicolae Serban, 57, and Ramandeep Kaur Maan, 25, were the two officers killed near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border during a prison inmate transfer on Aug. 6. Kiara Mooswa, a 24-year-old inmate at the Edmonton Institution of Women, was also killed when the minivan carrying her and the two officers was involved in a crash with a Hino box truck driven by one person. Mooswa had been serving a seven-year sentence starting in 2024. Correctional Services Canada (CSC) says the circumstances of her death – along with the crash itself – are under review. Serban had worked with CSC for 14 years, according to corrections manager Jodisa Dombroski. “He was very close and dear to our hearts,” she said at the barbecue fundraiser Saturday. “He was an amazing human. He was the friendliest, kindest soul you would ever meet. He walked around the institution with his Tim Horton’s coffee … An amazing father. An amazing coworker. An amazing husband.” Kaur Maan was a new officer who had just started in December after studying in Manitoba. Dombroski had interviewed her for the position and says she had a “special bond” with the 25 year old. “She had been with our institution such a short time, but she worked at the principal entrance. When we came into work in the morning, we saw her smiling face. She was just so amazing, a dedicated, hard worker. She was definitely going places with CSC.” Galliford said the last-minute nature of the fundraiser meant he hadn’t known what to expect and initially set a goal of $2,000 raised for the families. By Saturday afternoon, that goal was well surpassed. “It’s heartwarming to see the support we’ve received … The community’s really come together, providing all the food and all the required stuff we need here today.” Dombroski credits the response to how deeply the losses were felt among first responders. “Utter shock was our first reaction when I heard the news. It’s just devastating that we lost both of them in these circumstances. It’s still very surreal, I guess you could say,” she said. “The first responder community is a very tight-knit family, and to lose any members is just horrific.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
