Meadow Lake Fire Chief honoured with national excellence award
Colleagues and friends described Neil Marsh, Meadow Lake’s Fire Chief and long-serving member of the department, as a strong leader, hard worker, and unwavering devotee.
Marsh’s fellow firefighters nominated him for the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal, a national accolade given to fire personnel who have completed 20 years of service, given out by the Governor General of Canada. Deputy Fire Chief Joe Grela said it was important to recognize Marsh for his willingness to always go above and beyond.
“He definitely qualifies for exemplary service,” Grela said. “Neil was definitely not expecting it, even though I was verifying dates of how long he’s been with the fire department in late December. He had no idea.”
The firefighters surprised Marsh at their regular fire practice on Tuesday, March 20. They invited Mayor Gary Vidal and Marsh’s wife Audrey to attend the event. Vidal, who has known Marsh most of his life, and said it was kind of the department to recognize him.