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RANKIN INLET - A Rankin Inlet couple has found a unique way to support each other both on and off the job.

Michael and Maryann Aksadjuak are both members of Rankin Inlet's volunteer fire department, a rare combination in the region according to fire Chief Alan Stebbing.

Michael, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 25 years, is a "real pillar of the department," Stebbing said. "He's always willing to go above and beyond ...he's always at the fire department willing to do whatever is needed, from commanding a section on the scene to washing the floor."

Since joining as a teenager, Michael said he has seen a number of tough calls.

"Sometimes it just flies me right back when I think of some of them," he said. "Quite a few times I had to go in and search a fire, looking for people and taking them out."

The incident which he said stands out most was back in the mid-1980s during a fire at the fuel tank farm. He and the fire marshal stood on the tank itself for 20 minutes, working to put out the flames.

"I try my best to forget about what I've done though. I try to cope, so that way I'm not too stressful, and this way I would not show my family that it was hard," he said.

Maryann is a new recruit by comparison, with one year under her belt.

She said she was inspired to join in part by her husband's hard work and will be taking her Level 2 firefighting course this fall.

Maryann currently concentrates on crowd control, watching out for wandering children and helping out where needed.

"My husband does the real dangerous work, and I get nervous when he's in the building. But I keep busy so I am not stressed," she said. "And we really talk to each other, help support each other afterward."

The Aksadjuaks' son, David Turner, is also a firefighter in Chesterfield Inlet, as is Michael's brother Roger in Rankin Inlet.