Grade 6 student named Fire Chief for a Day

“I was surprised, and then I saw my mom walk in,” said Chrun. “She told me this morning that she had an appointment, but really, she was doing this.”

“She was very excited,” said Curtis Sjodin with the Medicine Hat Fire Service. “Her class was maybe more excited. She was a little bit nervous, but once it sunk in, and she got going through all of the different things we took her through, she has loved the day.”

The morning was busy for Chrun. She was able to tour two fire stations, meet firefighters, see their safety gear, and even got put through the paces in some of their training exercises.

Her favourite activity was the training maze.

“It’s just fun, you have to try and find a way to get out,” she said.

Chrun finished the morning getting a birds-eye view of Medicine Hat from the top of a ladder truck. While she enjoyed the experience, she mentioned there was something she was missing.

Mia Chrun prepares to go up on the ladder truck Thursday morning. Chrun was named Fire Chief for a Day on Thursday. – Photo by Ross Lavigne

Mia Chrun is all smiles on top of a ladder truck during the Fire Chief For a Day event Thursday morning – Photo by Ross Lavigne

“It was chilly,” she said. “I forgot my gloves, so my hands were cold.”

Chrun’s class was treated to a pizza party by the Medicine Hat Fire Services after her shift as chief ended.

Sjodin says the day gives kids an idea of what a career as a firefighter looks like.

“A lot of times, you’ll hear about a big fire, but you won’t see what we do day in and day out at the fire hall,” he said. “So, she gets to come in and see everything we do. So whether its fire, rescues, whether it’s water rescue or rope rescue, anything like that, she gets to see.”

by Charles Lefebvre

Grade 6 student named Fire Chief for a Day

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