'This has the potential to hit about $5 million': N.S. firefighters 50-50 soars to new heights, making everyone a winner

It’s a safe bet someone in Nova Scotia will have a Christmas they’ll never forget this year.

The Nova Scotia Firefighters Weekly 50-50 is approaching record territory right now, and the draw is still a day away.

“We believe it’s going to hit some record breaking numbers this year,” said Simon Cusack, co-founder of Rafflebox, the tech company that runs the event.

“We’re thinking this has the potential to hit about $5 million this year.”

The 50-50 concept is familiar to most people, but what sets this draw apart is that the ticket-buyers choose which local fire department or organization they’d like to support as they purchase.

The prize is split both ways when the number is drawn.

Individual winners are required to produce an N.S. drivers license or ID.

Last year’s late December draw resulted in a $1.4M payday for Kayla Eldridge, a licensed practical nurse from Falmouth.

“My whole family had to shut our phones off so we could go to bed that night because they were going off constantly,” Eldridge told CTV News on Dec. 29, 2022.

The 2023 jackpot was sitting at $1.25 million as of 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.

At Fire Station 50, the incoming president of Hammonds Plains Volunteer Firefighter Society says a flood of money from the event following the summer wildfires in the area has allowed the department to purchase new equipment and contribute to the community in ways that would have been unthinkable before.

"The firefighter draw has brought money to us that we're not used to. We have money now to do things to help the community, to help other charities within our community that need a little helping hand,” said Mike Deagle.

“We take the responsibility very seriously."

Deagle says the department, which shares space with full-time HRFE firefighters, has purchased upgraded equipment, including ventilation fans, and new flashlights and boots for members.

New helmets have also been ordered.

The group has also commissioned new training equipment, including a configuration of sea cans that will be used to practice locating victims inside smoke-filled environments.

“We are overwhelmed by the support. We are a group of 25 to 30 people that have this money, and we sit in a meeting every two months and we decide where this money needs to be distributed,” said Deagle, adding the money has also resulted in donations to local school breakfast programs, the SPCA, Red Cross, Team Rubicon, and the Royal Canadian Legion, among others.

“This is life changing money for that winner, and it’s life changing for some of the things that we’re doing here in the community that’s helping out,” said Deagle.

Cusack says the event is as close to a ‘win-win lottery’ as anything.

“We call it the unicorn, because everything sort of came together on this one. We’re supporting the local departments, local winners, all the funds that are being spread out around these departments are being used to buy equipment,” he said.

“They didn’t even have to raise taxes in Antigonish because one of the local departments raised so much money that they didn’t have to go look to the public for funding.”

Draws are performed at the Amherst Fire Station.

“There’s some (similar events) running in other provinces,” said Cusack.

“At the end of the day, this program has a really great individual at the helm, Andrew Wallace, who knows what he’s doing, who knows how to run this. A lot of where we’re at today is 100 per cent because of him.”

Wallace is the administrator of the 50-50 from the Amherst Fire Fighters Association.

“We are very proud and it is making a big difference in our communities, both for the first responders and our economy,” he told CTV News via email.

Ticket sales for the draw end Thursday evening, with the draw immediately afterwards.

“It’s just such a really good program at the end of the day,” said Cusack.

“We’re all supporting our local volunteer departments. At the end of the day, if something happens, they’re probably going to be the ones that are going to come help you out. And, at the same time, if you win, the money goes back into that community and we have lots of local winners winning big money in Nova Scotia.”