The Bonnyville Fire Department is bolstering its ranks, with new faces earning lieutenant and captain honours.
Station 5 Chief Darryl Shyian invited the unit's volunteer firefighters and their families to the Lakeland Inn on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to celebrate the work they do in the community.
“Tonight, we welcome everybody for our awards and recognitions evening. This involves not only the members, but their families and significant others that support what we do on a day-to-day basis,” expressed Shyian, who kicked off the awards night by recognizing new members of the department.
Dolly Oliveras* Gideon Hancock* Kelly Shamus, Ryley Rutlage, Adam Switzer and William Boyd, all stood up to be recognized as the newest volunteer firefighters in the department.
Four firefighters received their yellow helmet, signifying they had graduated from the junior ranks.
One-by-one, Curtis Blanchette, Pierre Pelchat, and Brad Trimble received ruckus applause as they stepped forward to claim their new helmet. Colton Batkey received the certification, but was unable to attend the celebration.
The evening also recognized Josh Dovedoff, Jason Sakaluk, and Kevin Sartain for completing their National Fire Prevention Association 1001 certification, which gives them firefighter status in 107 countries worldwide.
“These individuals have been recognized for significant accomplishments. That 1001 certification takes approximately 500-hours to complete. This is what members do on Tuesday nights and on their weekends. There are several thousand hours that have been put into these certificates,” noted Shyian.
The newcomers weren't the only ones moving up in position. With a slew of new members, and others graduating into firefighter rank, the department found room to welcome two new lieutenants and two new captains into the division.
“We have a couple of individuals moving up in the ranks. We were looking for candidates to take Station 5 in Bonnyville into the future, so that we can continue to grow here. The demand on us is fairly large, so this is a great opportunity to move some people up,” said Shyian.
Firefighters Laura Regenwetter and Colin Atkinson earned the rank of lieutenant, while Dwayne Ethier and Dustin Ruck became the unit's newest captains.
Ethier will pull double-duty in the new role as he already acts as the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) regional training/ fire prevention officer.
“This feels great, it took 12 years of work to get to this level, so it's nice to gain this respect and acknowledgment from the members. Being a captain allows me the ability to ensure a lot of these guys grow into better firefighters. One of the things I love to do is teach, and this will allow me to mentor and teach them,” expressed Ethier.
For Ruck, the recognition comes after six years with the department. He echoed his fellow captain's comments, adding he's proud of the direction Station 5 is taking.
“It's a great honour to be selected to be a leader for this group of fine ladies and gentlemen. It's great to see the department grow. I've been here for five or six years, and seeing people who started the same time as I did moving up the ranks is a good feeling,” he explained.
As part of the ceremony, the department also handed out stitched BRFA blankets to any of the members that welcomed new additions to their family within the last three years.
Overall, the evening was the department's way of saying ‘thank you' to their members for all of the time and effort they offer the community.
“I take great pride in all of this. The pieces of paper we gave out today are worth a lot in terms of the mental and physical requirements needed to earn them. They put in hundreds of hours on top of family life and work life. It shows we have great commitment from members in our station,” expressed Shyian.
