The Extreme Environment Response Vehicle has been out every cold winter night, looking for those on the street who need supplies or a warm place to stay.

From around 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. every night that the temperature drops below -10°C, Sidney Barnes and Staci Stewart are awake. They are driving a repurposed ambulance that was given to The Salvation Army and turned into an emergency response vehicle for cold weather.

"(We) make sure people aren't freezing on the street," Stewart said. "Possibly give them some food, possibly transport them to shelters."

Stewart and her partner, Barnes, are going this because their son is also on the street. Barnes said "we just want to help out."

The Extreme Environment Response Vehicle (affectionately referred to as the EERV), is typically full of supplies, but Stewart says they are running out. The EERV has no gloves to hand out and is running low on blankets, touques, and jackets.

Many meetings between the EERV and people on the street involve hot chocolate, something they hand out to everyone to keep them warm. When they spot someone, they will offer them a ride to one of the shelters in the city. Between The Salvation Army, Main Street Project and Siloam Mission, Steward says they can always find someone a bed, if they want it.

"When it was -44°C we had people running up to our van," Stewart said. "People who had a pair of sneakers on that had frostbite on their feet and were so grateful just to be able to sit in our van and warm up for a few minutes."

Stewart and Barnes continue to do this because they hate seeing people out on the street at night in this extreme cold. Those who choose to remain outside instead of coming to a shelter with the EERV are checked on repeatedly throughout the night. Stewart notes that they get to go home later and warm up there, but these people do not.

"We are very blessed," Barnes noted.