Recognizing our volunteer firefighters

Adelle Ellis
Times Reporter

 

The Wheatland County Volunteer Firefighter Appreciation Evening took place on March 4 for all firefighters working within the municipal boundaries of Wheatland County.
Following a cocktail hour and dinner, years of service awards were handed out to firefighters who have been in service for five, 10, 15 years and so on.
Recipients of the five years of service awards were: Guy Norman from the Dalum Fire Department; Ian Koester from the Rockyford Fire Department; Steven Hofer from the Rosebud Fire Department.
Recipients of the 10 years of service awards were: Matthew Tschetter from the Cluny Fire Department; Colin Jensen from the Dalum Fire Department; Curtis Lussier from the Gleichen Fire Department; Scott Campbell from the Rockyford Fire Department; Gary Geeraert from the Rockyford Fire Department; Ryan Seeley from the Rockyford Fire Department; Mark Lewandowski from the Rosebud Fire Department; Craig Nelson from the Rosebud Fire Department.
Recipients of the 15 years of service awards were: Sean Kenney from the Rockyford Fire Department; Chief Mike Jakubiszyn from the Wheatland West Fire Station.
Recipients of the 25 years of service awards were: Curtis Pedersen from the Rockyford Fire Department; Chief Art Hudson from the Rosebud Fire Department.
Recipient of the 40 years of service award went to Deputy Chief Malcom McKinnon from the Standard Fire Department.
Another award handed out was the Richard Zachariassen Excellence in Community Service Award. This is the second year the award has been handed out to a deserving volunteer firefighter who must be involved in their community and in many community events.
The award was created for a firefighter who worked in Wheatland County for both Rockyford and Rosebud fire departments. Zachariassen passed away in 2015 and due to his outstanding values about what he believed an individual, especially a volunteer firefighter, should do for their community.
The award is handed out to a deserving firefighter who is voted on by all the fire chiefs. This year’s recipient of the Richard Zachariassen Excellence in Community Service Award was Gerald Wilson from the Rosebud Fire Department
Wheatland County also has two of their own fire service stations that are of the Wheatland County Fire Services Department. The Wheatland West and Carseland fire stations operate under that department.
One recipient from each of the fire stations received a firefighter of the year award prior to the volunteer firefighter appreciation evening. The recipients were chosen within the ranks by secret ballot from their fellow firefighters. They were chosen based on who their fellow firefighters thought was the most hardworking and deserving firefighter for the Vic Bodeux firefighter of the year award.
Vic Bodeux was a patient from a call the firefighters went on years ago. Bodeux eventually passed away and now every year his wife, Dorothy Bodeux, presents the Vic Bodeux award to two deserving firefighters in his memory and to thank the fire stations for everything they did for him.
This year’s awards go to Keith Stuart-Berry and Captain Ben Bremner. Stuart-Berry, of the Caresland Fire Hall, was nominated due to all the fundraising he has done for the new Carseland fire hall.
Captain Ben Bremner won the award for the Wheatland West Fire Hall. Bremner is new to the department though he brings with him a lot of previous experience and a lot of training opportunities for the firefighters at the hall.