A story about the communties fire chief:
"When it comes to fire safety, Falher Fire Chief Denis Hamel may very well be in a league of his own.
Hamel, a veteran firefighter, has come a long way since first joining the local fire department as an active member back in 1988. Since that time he has seen his job description expand to include director of Protective Services with the Town of Falher in addition to safety codes officer for the Smoky River Region Joint Municipalities Accreditation and regional director of Disaster Services. In the spring of 2000, Hamel was elected to a two-year term as regional director of Zone 1 for the Alberta Fire Chief’s Association.
Looking back, he says civil protection is something that’s been in his blood since childhood.
“I’ve had a keen interest in civil protection ever since I was a kid growing up my home town of St. Raymond, Que.,” he said, recalling his days as a cadet. “We had a river that went right through our town and it flooded almost every spring. Each time it happened we (the cadets) were called upon to offer assistance.”
Hamel remained in Quebec until 1979, a time in his life when he decided to pack his life into a suitcase and move to Alberta to pursue a career as a truck driver at the tender age of 18. His decision to take up new roots in Falher was one that based solely on his francophone background.
“Back then I couldn’t speak a word of English. That was one of the biggest reasons why I chose to live in Falher. It just seemed like a perfect fit for me at the time,” he explained.
Hamel spent the next six years of his life as a truck driver before accepting a position as an employee with the Town of Falher under the umbrella of the municipality’s public works department in 1985.
Hamel became an active volunteer firefighter of the Falher Fire Department in 1988, and five years later he took over the reins as fire chief. In 1998 he accepted a dual position as full-time fire chief and director of Protection Services.
“It wasn’t something that happened overnight. It took place over a period of a few years. I figured, hey, maybe a career change wouldn’t be that bad,” he said.
Since joining the Falher Fire Department, Hamel has received training in a number of areas, including disaster services, the National Fire Protection Association, the Fire Services Institute as well as St. John’s Ambulance (first aid and CPR). He currently has fire inspection level two and fire investigation level one certificates.
When Hamel isn’t wearing his firefighter hat, he focuses his attention on his role as safety codes officer and director of Protective Services.
“Basically, I’m responsible for investigating all fires within the Smoky River region,” he said, adding that his title as safety codes officer is to help ensure all public buildings are fire safe. “I pay more attention to places like motels, hotels and community halls where the fire hazards are higher and people tend to congregate more.”
In terms of firefighting, Hamel said the past couple of years have been busier than normal for the Falher Fire Department – something he attributes to the recent transition to a 911 emergency caller system.
“Prior to changing over to 911 we averaged about 20 calls a year. Since 1998, however, we’ve been going out to approximately 57 calls each year in Falher and the Municipal District of Smoky River.”
Contributing factors behind the increased number of emergency calls in the region, he says include a surge in ice rescue responses in addition to above average reports of motor vehicle collisions and grass fires, which, with the exception of this year, were a direct result of tinder dry conditions.
Hamel takes his job as fire chief very serious and says it’s more of an addiction than anything else that keeps him going.
“It’s a huge adrenaline rush, like a drug, and if you ask any of the guys here, they’ll tell you the same thing. Your heart just races every time a call comes in,” he explained, adding that there is a tremendous sense of personal pride and satisfaction that goes hand in hand with the job description.
That’s not to say, however, that fire fighting is always rewarding. There is a dark side to serving the community which every firefighter fears – personal tragedy - and Hamel is no exception.
“You never really know what you’ll encounter when you respond to a call. There are times when you come across injuries and fatalities. It’s the toughest part of this job.”
In 1997, Hamel said there were as many as 12 fatalities in the region, many of whom were young children.
“It’s always hard, no matter how many times you witness something like that. A car can be replaced and a home can be rebuilt, but you only have one life.” "
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