Local firefighters receive honours for their years of services

October 20, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Four Shelburne firefighters have been recognized for their years of service with the local fire department.

Members of Shelburne’s fire department along with their family and friends gathered at the Shelburne Agricultural Centre last Thursday (Oct. 13) for Firefighter Appreciation Night, where they were honoured for their 20 and 25 years of service.

“It’s a pretty big honour to present these awards because it represents a total 90 years of firefighting experience that I can rely on when we get called out; it’s really good to have that in a department,” said Fire Chief, Ralph Snyder. “Our firefighters have a great working relationship within the hall. They rely on each other and are always looking out for each other, it’s fantastic. I think that’s why some of them stay that long and why we have such as stable fire department.”

Captain Steve Monds and firefighter Rob Sellar, who both joined the local department in 2001, were recognized for 20 years of service. They were both presented with a 20-year federal medal and citation from the Governor General of Canada.

“To serve my community and to be part of this community, it’s been amazing. Twenty years, I never thought I’d get here and having recently been promoted to captain, I’m looking for more,” said Monds. “To be with the department is just phenomenal.”

Sellar also noted his passion for his firefighting role.

“It’s dedication, I love helping people. The community has helped me out and I like to help them out, and together we make a pretty good town,” he said. “There’s not one person in this building I wouldn’t go into a burning house with.”

Captain Os Fleming, who was with the Shelburne and District Fire Department from 1987 to 1990 and rejoined in 2001, was honoured for his 25 years of service with the department. He was presented with a 25-year provincial medal and citation from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

“I’m [the] fourth generation in town so this means a lot to me. It’s the longest thing I’ve ever done next to having my child,” said Fleming. “I’ve seen a lot of change over the years, but it still means something when you walk into somebody’s house and they’re happy to see you.”

Captain Mike Morrell, who has been with the department since 1997 and is the longest-serving active member of the Shelburne and District Fire Department was also honoured for his 25 years of service. He was presented with a 25-year medal and citation from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

“It shows the time commitment and effort from myself. The length of time doesn’t mean I know more, a lot of these guys coming up now know more than I did,” said Morrell. “It’s great to get the recognition, but it’s also great to see how far the department has come.”

The Shelburne and District Fire Department has three other active responders with over 20 years of service.