ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - Fort Liard's fire chief was honoured last week in recognition of his outstanding service to the community.

Deh Cho regional assistant fire marshal Ronald Cripps, left, presents Fort Liard fire chief Robert Firth with an award of merit on Oct. 14. - photo courtesy of Ronald Cripps

Robert Firth, protective services officer and fire chief, was presented with an award of merit for going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to keeping his community safe, assistant fire marshal for the Deh Cho region Ronald Cripps said.

"He took all the extra steps to really make sure his community was safeguarded," Cripps said. "He's just doing an awesome job down there."

Firth was nominated for the award after Cripps paid a visit to Fort Liard this summer and saw posters around town promoting a SAFE Program. Firth had initiated the program, which involved providing smoke alarms and a fire safety check for every home in the community.

Cripps said he was impressed by Firth's ambition.

"The town bought the smoke alarms and they went door to door," he said. "That caught my eye right out of the gate."

Firth has been in the position for the past 13 months and has exhibited passion, dedication and professionalism since beginning the job, Cripps said.

Cripps and Northwest Territories fire marshall Steve Moss travelled to Fort Liard on Oct. 14 braving poor road conditions to present Firth with his award, Cripps said. Moss said he called Firth to let him know he was receiving the award.

"I was actually the one that notified him and he was pleased," he said. "It's always nice to get recognition for things, and it's pretty special when it comes from your peers."

Recognizing the daily achievements of fire protection workers is important, Moss added.

"Except for during the case of an emergency, there isn't really a whole lot of recognition that goes on for them," he said. "It's not a day-to-day thing where people come around and say 'hey, what a good job you're doing'."

Making employees feel valued can also help to recruit and retain workers, he added.

"We're trying to give them a little bit more incentive to join and stay in the fire service," he said.

Moss said Firth exemplifies the qualities a fire service worker should strive to achieve.

"He is a leader of the fire service and does a lot of things that make the community safer for the people that live there."

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