ESTEVAN - The second Estevan Fire Rescue Service Awards Night took place on Saturday, two years after the inaugural event.
While the first edition was a great success, the pandemic held the tradition on pause until this March, when all the EFRS staff, volunteers and their special guests could finally get together to celebrate the brave work and decades of service these extraordinary men and women put in to ensure the community's safety and wellbeing.
Some of the milestones were reached in 2021 but were celebrated all together at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course clubhouse during the 2022 edition of the event.
"This is an annual awards banquet that we try to put on to recognize the achievements of firefighters within our organization," said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser, adding that the night went great with many families and friends joining them in recognizing the members' accomplishments.
Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig and city manager Jeff Ward were the special guests of the night. Trevor Gowen, a former resident of the Estevan area, was the master of ceremonies and "kept everybody in stitches", as Feser put it.
The graduates of the NFPA 1001 – a standard for firefighter professional qualifications – were recognized first. After many hours of intense training, firefighters Amanda Minchin, Tyler Stead, John Wells, Stephen McLaren and Jonathan Nixon received their certificates, acknowledging that they are now fully qualified.
Five years of service awards were presented by Feser and Deputy Chief Rick Davies. The recipients were: Jeff Kuchinka, who was hired in 2015 and has attended 495 calls, 234 trainings and 217 activities; Jordan Baun, hired in 2016, has attended 623 calls, 219 trainings and 252 activities; John Wells, hired in 2016, has attended 499 calls, 258 trainings and 261 activities; and John Nixon, hired in 2016, has attended 350 calls, 198 trainings and 241 activities.
The chief and deputy chief then handed out 10 years of service awards to two members. Mallory Capelle, hired in 2011, has attended 727 calls, 426 trainings and 349 activities; and Nolan LaCoste, also hired in 2011, has attended 1,285 calls, 427 trainings and 350 activities.
Finally, a 20 years of service award was handed to Davies by Ludwig. Davies also became the recipient of the federal Exemplary Service Award for the 20 years of service, and Ludwig pinned a medal to his uniform.
The Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal, created in 1985, honours members of a recognized Canadian fire service who have completed 20 years of service, 10 years of which have been served in the performance of duties involving potential risks. Recognized fire services include Canadian fire departments, fire marshals' offices, fire commissioners' offices and the Canadian Forces fire services. Exemplary service is characterized by good conduct, industry and efficiency.
After that, the Estevan Firefighters Association handed out their awards. Captains Kyle Luke and Lincoln Empey recognized the EFRS members with a curling award for the fire department curling bonspiel. The other categories of the association's recognition included the Brownnoser of the Year and a Driver of the Year awards.
Feser said they hope to continue with this tradition in the years to come.
"This is going to be an annual event. We weren't really good at recognizing our own achievements, so this is something that we definitely need to recognize our members for their dedicated service," Feser said.
