The Fire Department of North Huron Wingham Station held a special awards ceremony last night.
3 personnel were receiving 20 year service awards, with an additional 5 receiving life-saving awards. Wingham Fire Chief David Sparling was joined by Reeve Neil Vincent to present the awards. Sparling says "it was a truly exciting night for our fire department, presenting 20 year service awards, especially in an age where the typical time of service is 5-7 years."
The 3 members being recognized for 20 years of service were:
Deputy Chief Matt Townsend
Capt Paul Kerr
Capt Russ Nesbitt
Chief Sparling also spoke about the 5 fire fighters being recognized for saving a local Wingham man's life in June of 2014. Sparling says "it's a highlight of your career when you get to witness or see your guys take part in saving someone's life. That's a huge part of being called upon as a fire fighter and I'm so proud of these individuals."
The 5 members being awarded for life-saving honours are:
Capt Kent Readman
Kyle Vollmer
Nick Frischknecht
Deputy Chief Chad Kregar
Eric Mulholland
Reeve Neil Vincent spoke after the ceremony and stated "this is a tremendous honour. Thank you for all that you do to keep us safe and tackle whatever we throw at you."
Trillium Insurance also presented a cheque to the station through their ROOTS community support program, which allowed the station to purchase a mobile pumping station to assist them in better putting out rural fires. The equipment allows the trucks to pump 800 gallons a minute, the same as a residential fire hydrant.
L-R: Deputy Chief Matt Townsend, Capt Paul Kerr, Capt Russ Nesbitt are honoured for 20 years of service.
North Huron Fire Chief David Sparling addresses the audience at the awards ceremony in Wingham on Monday night.