Iqaluit (Oct 20/03) - Last Friday started out as an ordinary day for Andrea Verreault, but before the morning ended it proved prove to be quite different from any other.

Andrea Verreault was the honourary fire chief for the day on Oct. 10. As chief she tested some equipment and even wore some fire fighting gear. - Neils Christensen/NNSL photo

The Grade 9 student at Ecole des Trois-Soleils received a huge shock when the Iqaluit Fire department showed up at the school, with two fire trucks and one ambulance to pick her up.

Verreault received the honour of being fire chief for the day, in celebration of National Fire Prevention Week. The award included receiving her very own fire chief badge, fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. She was also chauffeured around town in a pumper truck.

As they pulled out of the school parking lot Verreault blared the sirens to her classmates, who were gathering around the truck in awe.

"They told me that I won 15 minutes before the trucks came," she said. "It's still kind of shocking.

"It was cool to see my class watch me drive away." \For the entire day Verreault hung out with members of the department, including fire chief Cory Chegwyn, deputy chief Leo Tobin, and firefighters Tina Hallet and Barry Rogers.

As honourary fire chief, Verreault had the opportunity to learn all about the department and how firefighters respond to calls for assistance.

She was even able to test some of the equipment, which included walking up the truck ladder and wearing some of the gear.

"So far it's been very exciting," she said. "I'm having a lot of fun."

Chegwyn joked that the fire chief's position isn't always glamourous, and it mostly involves sitting behind a desk.

"Just wait until we have Andrea making the budget projections for next year," he said. For fire prevention week the fire department toured all the schools in Iqaluit and talked to students about fire education and what they should do in case of a fire. Andrea was picked to be chief because she won a Fire Safety Week poster contest.

"When we looked at her poster it explained it all," Tobin said.

Verreault's poster showed a person huddling in a corner surrounded by flames with the phrase "It only takes one match" written in English, Inuktitut and French.

Chegwyn admitted that they received a pile of great posters and it wasn't easy choosing just one.

"The response from the students was great," he said. "Verreault's poster showed a lot of fear in the person's face and that really stood out."

Verreault was the Iqaluit fire department's first honourary fire chief. The department is going to continue the tradition with hopes of educating youth about fire prevention.