The Township of Hamilton Fire Rescue Recognition ceremony was held on Sunday, September 11, 2022 at the Bewdley Community Centre.
As this was the first ceremony since COVID, the 2019 and 2021/22 recruit class were honoured along with the 5/10/20/25/20 and 35 years of service were presented during the ceremony.
Official Welcome -Fire Chief Kelly Serson
“O Canada” performed by Tyler Cochtane
«911» Tribute by Firefighter Brian Patrick followed by a moment of silence
“Firefighter’s Prayer” by Retired District Fire Chief Scott Minifie
Remarks by Platform Guests
Valedictorian Address Class of 2019
Assistant Captain Ryan Burns
Valedictorian Address Class of 2022
Firefighter Blake Strong
Award & Medal Presentation
“Royal Anthem”
” performed by Tyler Cochrane
Closing Remarks
PLATFORM GUESTS
Scott Jibb, Deputy Mayor – The Township of Hamilton
MP David Piccinni – Northumberland – Peterborough
Dan Standhope, Fire Protection Advisor – OFMEM
RECIPIENTS
2019 RECRUIT CLASS
BURNS, Ryan
GUTHRIE, Ken
HOGG, Mike
JONES, Nick
PRYCE, John
ROBINSON, Donna
TREW, Matt
2021/2022 RECRUIT CLASS
CAMERON, Jaxon
CLAPPERTON, Drew
CORVER, Tyler
DAVEY, Cooper
DAVEY, Kyle
DINGMAN, Jaimie
DRISCOLL, Ryan
FINNEY, Arden
GARDINER, Trevor
GEORGE, Tyler
McBRIDE, Kayla
MORISON, Chance
MURPHY, Dawson
RICHARD, Jake
SCHOLTES, Honor
STRONG, Blake
5 YEAR RECOGNITION
TENNISCO, Jason (Captain)
HEENAN, Dustin (Assistant Captain)
MARSHMAN, Brittany (Assistant Captain)
ANDERSON, Nick (Firefighter)
GRAHAM, Elijah (Firefighter)
HEENAN, Brooks (Firefighter)
KOLOBUTIN, Paul (Firefighter)
LANG, Mike (Firefighter)
McNABNEY, Hayley (Firefighter)
PARSONS, Robert (Firefighter)
PENWRIGHT, Jade (Firefighter)
SYMONS, Dale (Firefighter)
10 YEAR RECOGNITION
CAMERON, Kevin (Captain)
DAVEY, Craig (Captain)
HELD, Jasen (Assistant Captain)
LEGER, Shelley (FPO)
GUTHRIE, Ken (Firefighter)
KENNEDY, Nick (Firefighter)
McVETY, Brandon (Firefighter)
PRYCE, John
ROBINSON. Donna
TREW. Matt
GARDINER, Trevor
GEORGE, Tyler
McBRIDE, Kayla
MORISON, Chance
MURPHY, Dawson
RICHARD, Jake
SCHOLTES, Honor
STRONG, Blake
20 YEAR FEDERAL EXEMPLARY SERVICE MEDAL
ROBINSON, Michael (District Chief)
FLEMING, Sam (Retired Captain)
SCHOLTES, Jamie (Captain)
STEPHEN, Craig (Retired Captain)
GILLESPIE, Paul (Assistant Captain)
HOGG, Mike (Assistant Captain)
JORDAN, Shawn (Assistant Captain)
ASH, Ric (Firefighter)
BATES, Mark (Retired Firefighter)
HEINRICH, Steve (Firefighter)
MacLEAN, Todd (Retired Firefighter)
NORMAN, Gus (Firefighter)
25 YEAR PROVINCIAL LONG SERVICE MEDAL
CLAPPERTON, Trevor (District Chief)
STEPHEN, Kent (Retired Firefighter)
30 YEAR FEDERAL EXEMPLARY SERVICE BAR
MINIFIE, Scott (Retired District Chief)
FERGUSON, Tim (Captain)
BIRNEY, Mike (Retired Firefighter)
TAYLOR, Tim (Retired Firefighter)
35 YEAR PROVINCIAL LONG SERVICE BAR
SERSON, Kelly (Fire Chief)
FERGUSON, Gary (Retired Captain)
RETIREMENTS WITH EXEMPLARY SERVICE
MINIFIE, Scott (Retired District Chief) 1986-2019
FLEMING, Sam (Retired Captain) 1997-2019
FERGUSON, Gary (Retired Captain) 1986-2019
STEPHEN, Craig (Retired Captain) 1999-2019
BATES, Mark (Retired Firefighter) 1997-2021
BIRNEY, Mike (Retired Firefighter) 1991-2021
MacLEAN, Todd (Retired Firefighter) 1996-2019
STEPHEN, Kent (Retired Firefighter) 1991-2019
TAYLOR, Tim (Retired Firefighter) 1989-2019
FIREFIGHTER’S PRAYER
When I am called to duty,
God wherever flames may rage,
give me strength to save a life,
whatever be its age.
Help me to embrace a little child before it’s too late,
or save an older person from the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert to hear the weakest shout,
and quickly and efficiently to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling and to give the best in me,
to guard my neighbor and protect his property.
And if according to your will I have to lose my life,
bless with your protecting hand my loving family from strife
REFURBISHED HOSE CART
Prior to the advent of the modern motorized appliances used by Fire Departments, brigades responded to fire calls with hand (or horse) drawn devices. These manual appliances typically required
at least two personnel to operate and were essential for transporting firefighting equipment to the scene of an incident.
Although the hose cart seen here today does not have service experience with The Township of Hamilton Fire Department, it was donated to the depattment several years ago. As part of a
new tradition, the cart was refurbished and today was drawn in by our latest recruit class. Special thanks to Brad Cole for refurbishing the cart. We look forward to our new traditions.
Special thanks to piper Kevin Barry
CHIEFS MOST DEDICATED AWARD
Jasen Held
In honor of all Chiefs past and present who served with exemplary service for The Township of Hamilton Fire Department. This award is given to the firefighter who has
the best attendance at responses and training for the year 2021/2022 based on their home station.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD
Jason Tennisco, Ryan Burns and Brian Patrick
Awarded to the firefighter from each station that leads with excellence in and out of the fire department. These firefighters go above and beyond without being asked and
participate in extracurricular activity, committees, fire prevention activities and customer service.
L. SCOTT ROBINSON COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Donna Robinson
Scott Robinson was a Fire Chief for Station #1 Bewdley from 1997-2004. In his memory this award was started in 2005 for the firefighter that is an active participant in the
Department, but who also volunteers with other community organizations, clubs and events.
The 2019 valedictorian speech was given by Ryan Burns
Recruit class 2019
Thank you Chief Serson
Good afternoon, My name is Ryan Burns I am an assistant captain with station 2 here in Hamilton township and I have been given the privilege to represent the outstanding firefighters that have come from the 2019 recruit class.
Donna Robinson
Justin Mullins
Matt Trew
John Price
Mike Hogg
Nick Jones
Ken Guthrie
On behalf of our recruit class and myself we would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to those who, trained, mentored, and shared their stories and those who helped us when we had our blue dots and still today without them. Thank you to those who took time out of their busy lives to not only organize this program but those who spent many early mornings and late nights preparing and instructing.
I’d like to especially thank the folks who organized this event. It has been a while since we’ve had an event like this so we thank you for all your hard work and making today so special.
And to the two men here today that have dedicated their lives to the fire service and have shown us that if you truly love your job you will never work a day in your life.
Chief Serson and Chief Robinson, it is your dedication and passion for this department that encourages us to push harder and strive to be the best firefighters we can be, we thank you for trusting us to represent Hamilton Township and the two of you.
Through the county recruit program we have been provided with the skills to succeed within our own community. We are all extremely appreciative for the unique opportunities we received throughout our training. From cutting up cars in Harwood to melting accountability tags at Wesleyville, the lessons we learned and the mistakes we made will stay with us forever.
Our department has also given many of our firefighters the opportunities to thrive outside of our department as well, with some of our recruits moving on to full time careers in the fire service and others using our training and experience to grow their current careers.
When a group of people come together and all get the same feeling in their gut when those tones go off, something truly remarkable happens, you create a bond that is like family, you trust and support one another, you challenge and disagree with one another but when that call comes in you are with the exact group of people you want to be with.
And Though we have become a family within the department we must acknowledge the families at home, the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters and partners who wake up with us when the tones go off in the middle of the night and stay awake until we get home in the early mornings. And I think I speak for everyone when I apologize for the meals that we’ve missed or the events we couldn’t attend. Thank you to the family members who play therapist and offer comfort and support after the hard or frustrating calls, we might not say it enough but we could never do this without you so thank you for supporting us through it all.
Whether we stand here today in our best blues or when we put on our favourite faded Hamilton Township t-shirt it represents something bigger then us, It signifies our hard work, our dedication, our time, our sweat, and our pride.
It ties us with the great men and women that came before us and next generation of firefighters that will carry the torch when were gone.
It represents us as a team, and a family so wear it with pride, represent it well and remember its not just shirt it’s a legacy.
The 2021/22 valedictorian speech was given by Blake Strong
Hello everybody, my name is Blake Strong and it is an incredible honour to be selected to speak infont of you all this afternoon. I was told beforehand I had to speak for 10 to 12 minutes, but then I saw the program and noticed I was dead last following some stellar acts and I know everyone here including my own family is already thinking about cocktails and charcuterie boards behind the curtain and NFL Football Week 1 back home so I promise to keep this short.
First and foremost, I think it is important that I give thanks to all the people who have spent countless hours helping set this event up and making sure it has ran as smoothly as it has. Chiefs Serson and Robinson, I think I speak on behalf of the entire graduating class when I say thank you for all the work you have put in to us, not just this event but all the recruitment and training leading up to this. To the committee, Uncle Barney, Kayla, Donna, Amy, and Shelly we appreciate everything you guys did, it was an amazing job start to finish and it definitely did not go unnoticed by all of us. And too our friends and family for being here today, thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to be apart of this, it really wouldn’t be much of a celebration if no one actually showed up. And lastly captain Held, thank you for taking the entire 8 hour day shift on Friday to make sure this truck behind me was washed, and polished, I know chief Robinson didn’t appreciate it, but I saw first hand the passion and hard-work that went into it and was truly amazed.
It is crazy for me to think about how far we have come as a class; way back in March while going through the hiring process I remember awkwardly sitting at Baltimore Hall and later the Community Centre not saying a word to one another, everyone just waiting for someone to make the first move to break the ice. In just a few short months, awkward silence has been replaced by endless chirps and good times. My old man was a Toronto Firefighter for 26 years, and I used to joke that he liked spending more time “working” at the fire hall instead of being home because that was his chance to see his other family and really escape the outside world for a 24 hour shift. I began to feel the same way as our training progress, and the number of times we all stopped for a water on a patio after work continued to grow. Over the past few months, we have grown not only as firefighters, but as friends as well and I now understand why my dad loved going to work so much, the department quickly becomes your second family and any chance you get to see them is a good day.
I cannot lie to you all though, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, there was a good 24 hours a few months ago that I’ll call a minor bump in the road.
It all started when I was out sea dooing for the first time since moving up here, we had owned the sea doo for a little over an hour when I wiped up and let go of the key. My mother is hearing this story for the first time ever so I apologize mother I love you dearly, but the sea doo continued to drive further and further away from me until I lost site of it and I was left floating in the middle of the lake. Long story short, next thing I knew I looked to the shore and there was the flashing lights of our fire truck coming to rescue me, 2 weeks after hiring me. Then captain tennesco arrived, and I figured this would be something to laugh about and bug me. Boy was I wrong. The look of disappointment and utter shock when he pulled the boat up beside me and realized it was me was something I’ll never forget. There wasn’t a lot of laughs, and he certainly did not hold back displeasures about having to come save me on a work night as he towed me and my inoperable sea doo home, and I honestly think if it wasn’t for Shawny he would have left me out there. So Shawny thank you for rescuing me.
The story does not end there, about 20 hours later, after countless chirps and photoshoots about my seadooing experience, we hit another bump in the road, and this one resulted in our truck being sideways in a ditch. As I sat there strapped into my seat hanging like a child on a roller coaster, Tyler George unbuckled himself and began climbing over me to get out, and in a brief moment of confusion I forgot about gravity, unhooked my strap and fell a good 8 feet to the other side of the truck. Great news was Nick Jones had just began to get up and he graciously and unexpectedly took the entire grunt of my fall. I remember later that night him complaining about soreness and thinking that someone may have stepped on him in all the commotion that was going on, knowing very well that it was all me. So I am sorry Nick, but I do think you could have caught me.
It was after this accident that I truly began to understand what it means to be a firefighter; I received countless texts and phone calls from chiefs, captains, and recruits checking in on me, making sure I wasn’t too shaken up and offering support if I needed to talk it out with someone. Even old grumpy captain tennisco forgave me for my seadooing antics and showed up at my door with Captain Hogg and Captain Davey a few days latter just to make sure I was recovering alright. It reminded me again on why I ever wanted to do this in the first place; I lost my dad in 2018 to an off-duty accident, and the response our family received from firefighters was something I’ll never forget. Hundreds of firefighters from across the province who had worked with my dad lined the streets at his funeral to give him a heroes send off. It has been 5 years since we lost him, but my mother and I still receive texts from firefighters, invites to holiday parties, and they still run a golf tournament in his honour, from the very beginning they have looked after us like we were their family and I know my dad would have done the same for them.
It is because of all this that I am a little bias when I argue firefighters are some of the best society has to offer, and in my brief period living here and working amongst all of you that hasn’t changed a bit. Despite the bumps and detours along the way these past few months, I wouldn’t change any of it, and I look forward to continuing to grow together as firefighters and as friends.
I will leave you all with this, in the past 6 months I have learned countless lessons about the job and about life, but one of them really sticks out from the rest and it is something my mentor Captain Craig Davey, the one armed man sitting here at the front taught me just recently. It is something I believe everyone here can learn from and the lesson is; if you have spent the entire day sipping on white claws, please just say no when they ask you to go water skiing.
Thank you all.
Created in 1985, the Fire Services Federal Exemplary Services Medal honours members of a recognized Canadian fire service who have completed 20 years of service.
Exemplary service is characterized by good conduct, industry and efficiency. Suspended from a red and gold ribbon, it bears a Maple Leaf with a Maltese Cross, crossed axes and a fire
hydrant superimposed and the inscription Exemplary Service The inscription E R’ and the Roval Cipher appear on the reverse.
First awarded in 1971, the Fire Services Provincial Long Service Medal is an expression of public appreciation for the dedication and hard work of Ontario firefighters. Both full-time and volunteer firefighters can qualify for the medal.
Suspended from a red, white and green ribbon, the circular medal bears the Maltese cross, with the coat of arms of Ontario superimposed and the inscription Fire Services Ontario.
The inscription For Long Service the Fire Protection and Prevention Act’ appears on the reverse.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
