Olds firefighters who went to Fort McMurray to battle the wildfire there last May and those who stayed behind to keep the local community safe were honoured with awards during the Jan. 23 Olds town council meeting.
Not all firefighters who received awards were able to be in council chambers for the presentations. However, Captain Scott Chant said those who weren't able to be there will receive their awards later.
Those receiving provincial recognition awards are Jennifer Alcock-Boyd, Kelly Andrew, Casey Bateman, Ciaran Boggan, Noel D'Arcy, Sara Durocher, Phil Finlay, Chad Harper, Jason Kjorsvik, Dale Lulchak, Dan Pederson, Reul Puertas, Brian Powell, Brandon Thompson, Lorne Thompson and Dale Worth.
Municipal Recognition Awards are going to Leonard Brandson, Dale Karpyshyn, Don Graham, Jim Finlay, Rene Schoonderbeek, Justin Andrew, Scott Chant, Jason Lang, John Lavoie, Lance Parrott, Cody Maetche, Oliver Destreza, Taylor Jacobson, Josh Watkins, Ben Opheim, Jim Massey, William Nel, Jason Holloway, Michael Boyle, Erick Valencia, Lynn Roberts, Derrick Marshall, Dave Mitchell, Drew Worth, Stu Didyk, Jamie Vasseur and Pete Waycott.
Among the dignitaries handing out awards were Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper, Deputy Mayor Harvey Walsh, and Olds Fire Department captain Scott Chant.
Cooper paid tribute to those who fought the Fort McMurray wildfire, but he also praised them for volunteering every day to keep residents safe from fire here.
"Every single day, when those tones ring you stop everything in your life to put the lives of others in front of yours. So on behalf of the provincial government, thank you so much for your efforts," Cooper said.
"For those of you who went to Fort McMurray, thank you so much, and for those of you who stayed behind to make sure the rest of the community remained safe.
"Each and every single one of you played such an important role in our community in keeping our community safe. I'm just so proud of the work that you do.
"On behalf of all of my colleagues in the legislative assembly, thank you for your hard work and dedication, not only to our community, but to our province," he said to applause.
Cooper also praised the spouses and families of the town's volunteer firefighters.
"There are so many spouses in this room who spend an incredible amount of time and energy supporting our community as well, and so rarely are you recognized for your efforts and your work," Cooper said.
"And, you know, supper was hot - or it was cold - but supper was on and out the door they were running. And the kids are crying and out the door they're running.
"So thank you so much for your commitment to the efforts of your partner and those that you love. Their commitment to our community and your commitment is just as strong, so thank you so much for that," he added.
Walsh echoed those comments.
"We are really appreciative of our firefighters in the community that they (stood) up and volunteered to go to Fort McMurray," he said during an interview with reporters.
"It's nice that we can recognize those that stayed behind too," he added. "Not everybody can go, and I know others wanted to go, but it's not always possible to allow everybody in the community to go."
"Every single day, when those tones ring you stop everything in your life to put the lives of others in front of yours. So on behalf of the provincial government, thank you so much for your efforts."NATHAN COOPER OLDS-DIDSBURY-THREE HILLS MLA
