Tthek'ehdeli/Jean Marie River - A recent firefighting award came as a bit of a shock for one Deh Cho firefighter.

"I was pretty surprised and honoured," said Arnold Gargan, Jean Marie River's volunteer fire chief.

From left, Firefighter Wanda Norwegian, Deputy Fire Chief Gerald Grossetete, Fire Chief Arnold Gargan, instructor Linda Urban and the students of Chief Louis Norwegian gather for the award presentation in Jean Marie River last week. - photo courtesy of Tyrone Larkin

"I was surprised that our chief nominated both of us."

Both Gargan and deputy fire chief Gerald Grossetete were honoured with the GNWT's Fire Services Merit Award last month, which recognized their work to spread firefighting knowledge around the Deh Cho.

"We're proud of these guys," said Assistant Fire Marshal for the Deh Cho Tyrone Larkin. "It's really a thankless job."

Larkin said the pair have been active in Jean Marie and in surrounding communities, running workshops to share knowledge with fellow firefighters and youth.

"We ran training programs for Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake," said Gargan. "We got them together because we all have the same equipment."

Gargan, who also serves as Jean Marie's economic development officer, said this equal playing ground let firefighters from all three communities learn from one another's experiences.

"It was a good idea because most of the people in small communities learn if they can see it and do it," he said. "This was a more hands-on experience. We showed them once and they got it right away."

He said the gathering helped him understand some of the limitations that some firefighters were facing, such as faulty or missing equipment.

Fellow organizer and award-winner Gerald Grossetete could not be reached for comment before deadline.

GNWT representatives said these sort of initiatives are what they look for when handing out these awards.

"We're basically looking at achievements in firefighting or real innovative solutions," said Sheila Bassi-Kellett, assistant deputy minister with the GNWT's department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

"We want to hold these people up as role models."

She said the awards are given out annually, based on the nominations of community members, fire departments and fire chiefs.

Two others were also honoured, including Norman Firth from Fort McPherson, and Dean Korpesio from Hay River.