Cobden – Several Whitewater Region (WWR) Fire Department service members graduated or received awards at the Cobden Legion Hall last Saturday.

The third annual WWRFD Recognition Ceremony recognized dozens of volunteer firefighters for their courage and commitment as first responders. Chief Jonathan McLaren welcomed more than 100 people that included the entire department, municipal councillors and families of firefighters. 

Event Emcee was Deputy Chief Corey MacKenzie and he jokingly requested “no fighting on the way out the door,” in the event of an emergency call, before calling up the class of nine 2024 department recruits. 

Chief McLaren thanked the graduates for their commitment before ripping off their green trainee helmet numbers and replacing them with grey ones to recognize the experience they’ve gained in their first year.

“When folks join us their first year they’re wearing a green tag,” he said. “That’s for a couple of reasons, the main one being safety. It signifies to all the rest of us that are on a scene that this person is new, they’re not fully trained.”

“Getting this badge means they are allowed to operate on their own within certain restrictions. They know what they can and can’t do,” he explained.

After the graduation ceremony, 16 firefighters were called up to receive their certificate from the Ontario Fire Marshal for completing the first level National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) training and another 17 firefighters were called up for the second level.

Whitewater Deputy Mayor Cathy Reiger recognized the department’s retirees who included Tom Letang, Rick Ruttan and the late Roy Church. Chief McLaren then asked the crowd to take a moment of silence in honour of Mr. Church who achieved the rank of captain in his four decades with the fire department before his passing in the fall of 2024.

Councillor Connie Tabbert delivered the Years of Service and Exemplary Service Awards, thanking each firefighter personally for their commitment to the township.

Five department members were bestowed Exemplary Service Medals for demonstrating outstanding dedication over an extended period. Award recipients included Jamie Caswell, John Cull, Chief McLaren, Randy Smith and Ben Snyder.

Deputy Mayor Reiger spoke on behalf of Mayor Neil Nicholson and MPP John Yakabuski, who were unavailable due to prior commitments.

“Each of you are integral to the community,” she said. “I once read a quote that said, ‘When a volunteer joins the fire service, the greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What you do after that is all in the line of work.’”

Fire Administrator Julie Butala started coordinating the WWRFD Recognition Ceremony in her second year on the force. She told the Leader it was well worth the month or so of preparation to pull it off.

“It’s great. It’s nice to see everybody in their uniform and coming together,” she said. “It’s nice we’re recognized for the hard work that we do. It’s nice to see. Especially the long-time volunteers. The fire department has changed a lot since they started so it’s nice to see them being appreciated.”

Chief McLaren said this year’s ceremony was the most well-attended yet.

“It was wonderful to see everybody come out. It’s nice to recognize our members once in a while,” he remarked. “They do a lot of tireless work behind the scenes and it’s nice to drag them out to the forefront and recognize them for their hard work and dedication.”

Recent graduates Chris Wood and Kyle Biggs joined the department as recruits at the end of 2024 and immediately started training for their NFPA certification through the township. Now that they’ve finished their first year on the job, they can look forward to starting on level two.

When asked if he was having fun, Mr. Wood didn’t hesitate to say, “Oh, absolutely.” He told the Leader it keeps one on their toes when they least expect it.

“Most of our motivation for joining is to be able to help people,” he said.

Although Messrs. Wood and Biggs work full-time while holding volunteer positions, they both think highly of the volunteer program and said their new commitment makes for a demanding but fulfilling compromise.

Mr. Biggs said he was surprised to learn firefighters are paid for the hours they spend responding to calls, even though they’re on-call basically all the time.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to help out the community. You learn lots of valuable life lessons and skills you can use day-to-day. The people you meet at the hall are like a family.”

Following the event, service members enjoyed a friendly social hour.

Years of Service Awards

Twenty-five firefighters were recognized for their years of service to the township.

Five Years of Service: Julie Butala, Nathan Jahn, Jordan and Philip Leslie, Nicole Lewis, Conrad and Darwin Martin, Nicholas Norton, Chris Parr and Steven Schison.

10 Years of Service: Chris Martin and Chris Smerdon.

15 Years of Service: William Harris, Jon Malcolm, Mike Meadows, Darren Rabb and Amie Waite.

20 Years of Service: John Cull and Benjamin Snyder.

Honoured for 30 Years of Service were Lorin Martin and Rick Ruttan. Troy Waite was the sole recipient of the 35 Year Service Award while 40 year recipients included Steve Brabazon and the late Roy Church.