Central York Fire Services honours own at annual Recognition Ceremony

The Central York Fire Services honoured members of its own on Thursday night as they hosted their annual Recognition Ceremony at the Ian Laing Headquarters.

The event, which celebrates new staff, the achievements of serving members, and key examples of service itself within the fire department serving Newmarket-Aurora, was attended by Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher-Murphy, and Councillors Rachel Gilliland, who represents Ward 2 and a serves as head of the Joint Council Committee overseeing the CYFS, and Ward 3 Councillor Wendy Gaertner.

Among the awards presented was the Jim Allen Award, an initiative introduced by the CYFS in 2018 in recognition of retired Captain Jim Allen, an influential member of the service who mentored scores of recruits through his 37-year career.

The award, for which nominations are received from members of the CYFS itself, honours those who have represented significant leadership.

This year's recipient was Firefighter Marty Maurice – who now holds the distinction of the most junior firefighter so honoured.

“This year, Maurice went above and beyond to identify an opportunity to better use one of our aerial trucks, develop a training program around the new use and deliver it to fellow firefighters to take us a step farther to supporting our community when they need us the most,” said the CYFS.

“Maurice demonstrated the value of pursuing ongoing education and training to be better equipped to serve residents. He created a hands-on tactical Aerial Operation program and, to ensure it was as realistic as possible, he secured an actual building in the community to use in training.”

Accepting the award, Maurice said he “wouldn't be here without the support of his family,” and, in addition to his wife, thanked his father for “always engaging in conversations,” dialogue which he said was essential in making a difference in leadership.

“Conversation is really how this all started,” he said. “I further want to extend my gratitude to the Management team for giving me the opportunity to express myself. As leaders, you were able to recognize my passion, trust in my abilities, and allowed me to shine a light.”

By Brock Weir