Well, he's lost count, but there were "plenty" of ambulance calls that woke him from peaceful slumber in the wee hours of the morning. "I sleep with my (emergency) radio," Boutilier laughed.

"As soon as that radio rings I jump out of bed, or wherever I'm at I jump. You never know when it's going to ring."

Boutilier and Lee Scobie were named co-winners of Fort Simpson's volunteer firefighter of the year award in December.

"I sort of felt like I didn't do much this year," said a modest Scobie, a three-year veteran of the department. "Wayne deserved it."

From a professional standpoint, Scobie said, a memorable moment from the past year came following a house fire in which nobody was seriously hurt.

She said fellow firefighters Ernie Loutit and Daryl Sloat urged her to climb atop the roof to help them investigate the blaze.

Boutilier, who joined the brigade in 2001, said he found the volunteer work much to his liking.

"It's the best organization I got into," he said. "It's the adrenaline rush. I like helping people too."

Fire Chief Pat Rowe said Scobie and Boutilier were definitely deserving of the award.

"Wayne and Lee did lots for the department all year," said Rowe, citing extra-curricular duties such as cleaning the firehall and donating time to community events.

Next year there will be a change in how the award winners are determined. Instead of having the firefighters' executive decide, all the department's members will cast ballots, Rowe said.