THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Fire Rescue honoured both seasoned and new fire fighters at a Commendation Award and New Recruit Graduation Ceremony held today at the Thunder Bay & Region Protective and Emergency Services Training Centre.
“Thunder Bay Fire Rescue is also proud to welcome six new 4th Class Fire fighters,” said Deputy Chief Greg Hankkio. “It’s important to recognize the hard work and dedication these individuals have put in to reach this point. We thank each new fire fighter and their families for their commitment to the Fire Service and the citizens of Thunder Bay.”
For the first time, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Commendation Awards were presented to six individuals within the Department. These new awards recognize fire fighters for exemplary action either on or off the job and can be awarded in three categories including Honor, Valor and Merit. Recipients must be nominated by their peers and then selected by the Recognition Committee.
The Inaugural Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Commendation Honour Awards were presented to:
Dan Coulter, Valor Award
Ryan Currie, Valor Award
Mark Ferrence, Merit Award
Harley Hakanen, Honor Award
Anthony Hockenhull, Honor Award
Jon Swaggert, Honor Award
Deputy Chief Hankkio, Deputy Chief Paxton and Director of Training Bill Johnson, also presented hats and badges to welcome six new fire fighters to the department. The following new recruits completed a six week training component with the guidance of Training Officer Martin Hynna and Training Officer Tim Langille bringing the Fire & Rescue Service to 213 personnel:
Edmund Dupuis
Matthew Henny
Randal McOrmond
Daniel Morrison
Nicholas Oryschak
Robert Sheppard
“As new members of Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, we are excited to put our extensive training and preparation to work for the benefit of our community,” Matthew Henny, Fall 2012 Recruit Valedictorian.
