(Penhold Fire Department)

By Alessia Proietti

Penhold Volunteer Fire Department

Penhold presents awards to four volunteer firefighters

Feb 16, 2022 | 12:49 PM

Four members of Penhold’s volunteer fire department were honoured by the Town this week for their outstanding committment to their duties.

As last year’s ceremony was cancelled due to the pandemic, Acting Fire Chief Sean Pendergast and Mayor Mike Yargeau presented the awards for 2020 and 2021.

The Town stated in a release that it “appreciates all members of the Penhold Volunteer Fire Department and are happy to acknowledge these members who have gone above and beyond in their duties over the past two years.”

Firefighter of the Year is based on volunteer dedication such as number of calls taken, time commitment given, and helpful tasks completed like firehouse maintenance. Officer of the Year is based on the types of projects the volunteer worked on.

For 2020, the following awards were given:

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• Firefighter of the Year: Quinlan Parsons
• Officer of the Year: Lieutenant Brittany Evans

Firefighter Parsons was awarded for his time representing the town during the various High Level Creek wildfires in 2019.

2020 Firefighter of the Year: Quinlan Parsons (Supplied)

Lieutenant Evans has been the coordinator for the Cadet program over a number of years in partnership with ATCO, allowing the fire department to grow substantially, according to Acting Chief Pendergast.

“We’re growing our department organically with the Cadet program now. We have five former cadets that are firefighters on our department,” he said.

2020 Officer of the Year: Lieutenant Brittany Evans (Supplied)

For 2021, the following awards were given:

• Firefighter of the Year: Lieutenant Justin Graham
• Officer of the Year: Captain Warren Kitteringham

Firefighter Graham was not only voted for the 2021 award but was promoted to Lieutenant in 2022. He is the liaison for the Medical First Response program.

“He’s our guru in what kind of medical interventions we’re allowed to provide and how we work with the provincial EMS (Emergency Medical Services) system, how we help the ambulance and paramedics, and how many medical type calls we receive,” said Acting Chief Pendergast.

2021 Firefighter of the Year: Lieutenant Justin Graham (Supplied)

Captain Kitteringham runs the training and development duties such as certifications, is part of the Safety Committee, and has also dedicated a large portion of his time to the High Level Creek wildfires with Firefighter Parsons.

2021 Officer of the Year: Captain Warren Kitteringham (Supplied)

Nominations for the Officer of the Year award were voted in by the volunteer firefighters and vice versa.

“It’s just great for us to recognize the dedication and hard work that these firefighters put in,” said Acting Chief Pendergast.

The winners also got to choose a day to attend the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association’s 74th Annual Conference and Trade Show. For the first time since 2019, the show will be held in person at the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel & Conference Centre from May 29 to 31.