BONNYVILLE – The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) Station 5 family celebrated the accomplishments of some of their members.
Although they weren’t able to mark the occasion with a proper gathering due to COVID-19, regional training and fire prevention officer Cpt. Dwayne Ethier said they still wanted to take the time to formally award their volunteer firefighters with well-deserved ranks and certifications.
“They put a lot of work into the training and experience,” he noted. “It’s important to recognize their efforts, especially as volunteers because they don’t get paid for it and they’re doing it in their spare time.”
The celebration marked two longtime members moving up in rank, with Josh Dovedoff and Colin Atkinson both being promoted to captain.
After roughly nine years with Station 5, Dovedoff described the title “as a great honour.”
“It took me some time to take on that role,” he said. “I was waiting until I was ready to take it. I just wanted to make sure I had everything in the right place and I was ready for the responsibility and the commitment.”
Atkinson joined Station 5 a decade ago after attending an open house to learn more about what the position would entail.
“I just wanted to help out in the community and try out what fire fighting was all about,” he recalled. “I wasn’t big on the medical side, but I enjoy getting out on the big red trucks and doing what I can to help do whatever we’re asked to do.”
Atkinson offered his appreciation to his comrades at Station 5 and said he looks forward to training future firefighters.
“As much as they say that us red hats aren’t supposed to work, I still like to get in the mix and whether it's cutting open a car or putting water on the fire. I still like to get out and do all that sort of fun stuff as well; trying to basically teach anybody that’s willing to learn, or here's the reasons why I do the stuff the way I do it.”
According to Ethier, the promotion means they are now part of the executive leadership group at Station 5 as they currently don’t have a chief or deputy chief.
“It brings them up to that same management level and they’ve worked hard for it. The understanding is it’s really not a reward. Adding that extra strip to the shoulder isn’t really a reward for doing a good job; it’s adding more responsibility onto your shoulder now. If you do great, we’ll give you more to do,” he laughed.
Dakota Theroux received his yellow helmet during the ceremony, meaning he is the newest fully trained firefighter at Station 5 after completely his probationary period.
Firefighter Coltin Batke was recognized for achieving his firefighter level one and two certifications, while firefighter Matt Pearce completed his fire service instructor level one.
