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Though the family of William Hilts is grieving his loss after the plane he was piloting crashed near Cold Lake, Alta., on May 22, where he was fighting wildfires, they have found comfort in the outpouring of condolences and gratitude from the community.

“It gives us a side of him that we never thought of. We always thought of him as a pilot more than a firefighter, but then you realize the role that those guys play in the community,” said his father, Stuart Hilts.

The 38-year-old pilot was fighting wildfires in an Air Tractor AT-802 “Fire Boss” amphibious water bomber for Conair Aerial Firefighting, under contract to Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD), when his plane crashed on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range on May 22 around 5:20 p.m.

Though his family has found strength in the expression of gratitude from communities he helped protect from wildfires and anecdotes from friends and fellow aviators, Stuart says the loss is heartbreaking.

“Life will never be the same. You are carrying on half the time, and crying the other half of the time,” he said.

William was an experienced pilot with four years of aerial firefighting experience, first taking pilot training at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, before flying with Kenora Air Services, Turtle airways in Fiji, Harbour Air in Prince Rupert, B.C., and Wasaya Airways in Ontario. Stuart says his son knew he wanted to be a pilot in his teens, that flying a water bomber was his eldest son’s dream job, and believes he was inspired to fly after listening to stories of his grandfathers service with the Royal Canadian Air Force teaching navigation.

William inherited his grandfather’s RCAF uniform.

Stuart attributes his son’s passion for nature, especially his love of the rocky mountains, to cross-Canada family trips the Hilts family took together throughout his childhood.

“The smartest thing we ever did with our lives was take the kids on those trips because it gave them all the same memories,” Stuart said.

One trip Stuart believes inspired his son in particular was when the family drove through the Yukon to Alaska before taking the ferry down the coast to Prince Rupert, B.C. where they saw water bombers battling a blazing wildfire.

Stuart describes William as a “natural” in the cockpit, and remembers having the chance to fly with him from Prince Rupert to Hiada Gwaii and back again, “you couldn’t even tell when the plane hit the water again, it was so smooth.”

While it was his passion for flying and willingness to put himself in harms way to protect the land he loved ultimately cost him his life, Stuart says “he obviously was enjoying life, and was happy and loved what he was doing.”

The Transportation Safety Board is still investigating what caused Hilts’ plane to crash, a process that could take months. William’s body is still in Edmonton.

His family has yet to make concrete arrangements for a memorial service, but hopes to hold one in Ontario for friends and family there and another in September at the Conair headquarters in Abbotsford, B.C. after the fire season is over.

A public online memorial page for William Hilts has nearly 12,000 views.

@ClaireTheobald

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Infections increase the risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), researchers reported at the 52^nd congress of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association in London.

In fact, the increased risk of CVEs associated with infections is similar in magnitude to having a previous CVE, according to investigators.

Hicham I. Cheikh Hassan, MD, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and colleagues analyzed data from 2,294 CKD patients who had a median age of 70.4 years and a median follow-up of 2.86 years. A CVE occurred in 281 patients (12.1%), including ischemic events (7.2%), congestive heart failure (5.6%), and other events (1%). Infections occurred in 480 patients (20.9%). Significantly more patients with than without infections experienced CVEs (28.5% vs. 19.9%). Overall, compared with patients who had no prior CVE and who did not experience an infection, patients who had an infection had a significant 2.9 times increased risk of CVEs. Patients who had a prior CVE and no infection had a significant 2.84 times increased risk of CVE; those who did not have a prior CVE but had an infection had a significant 2.6 times increased risk. Patients who had both a prior CVE and an infection had a significant 7.7 times increased risk. Multivariate analysis confirmed development of an infection as an independent risk factor for CVE.

Study subjects had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 15–45 mL/min/1.73 m² and were followed up every 6 months for 3 years and then annually for 2 more years. The researchers defined infections as the use of antibiotics.

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Sodium Levels Rise As CKD Progresses Renal and Urology News Serum sodium levels increase significantly with decreasing renal function, according to the findings of a small study presented at the 52nd congress of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association in London. and more »

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