It's been almost 34 years since Shaun Redmond first donned his Burnaby fire uniform and hopped on the engine to attend a chimney fire that had broken out in a home on Gilley Avenue.
Redmond says he still remembers how he felt during the ride to the scene; his heart was pounding, his pulse quickened and all the while hoping he wouldn't make any crucial mistakes.
Redmond must have done something right that night because in 2011, he was promoted to the highest position in the Burnaby fire department - fire chief.
Redmond was hired by the department when he was 22 years old and soon he was out fighting fires and helping people, which is the reason why he applied in the first place.
"You get into firefighting because you really want to help people, especially when they need that help," he says. "For me, personally, the most rewarding part of this job has been able to help people and not always in emergency situations. (The department has) quite an established charitable society, so we're out in the community a lot, and we like to be invested in what's going on. Bottom line is we want to make a difference.
"It's a wonderful feeling when you know that what you've done has saved someone's life. It's hard to describe, but it's so exhilarating to know that your intervention made that big a difference to somebody."
Redmond has done his best to help people, both as an on-duty fireman and as an administrator with the department. As fire chief, he has put an emphasis on safety for his members, working to ensure they receive all the required certification, as well as any extra training they can get, depending on resources available, he says.
"We want to make sure we're not putting ourselves in danger to do what we need to do."
This wouldn't have been the case back when he first started, Redmond says. In the past, much of the work firefighters did wasn't actually backed up with certified training. The fire department would respond to many emergency situations in a secondary, or unofficial capacity. Certification wasn't as stressed as it is today, he says.
"Obviously things were a little bit different. We didn't have as much equipment as we have now, we didn't have the focus on safety that we have now. We didn't have the certification we have now," he explains.
Today, Redmond's department receives certification for a variety of emergencies in order to prepare for any type of call. Redmond says he's been working to improve the department's urban search and rescue skills in light of recent natural disasters around the world.
"We're kind of the Swiss Army knife, so to speak, of the public service. We pretty much do it all," he adds.
The Burnaby Fire Department responds to all types of calls, including hazardous materials, technical rescue, motor vehicle accidents and medical emergencies, as well as standard fire calls.
"We're pretty diversified now and with that diversification comes trying to keep the certification up, so that's a challenge for us."
But come June 21, Redmond won't have to worry about certification any longer. He plans on enjoying retirement with his wife, who is retiring from her nursing position at Burnaby Hospital.
Redmond says he'll miss riding on the fire truck and helping people in need, but most of all he'll miss the familial atmosphere within the department.
"I enjoyed that camaraderie around the fire stations. I enjoyed that strong sense of teamwork," he says.
Both Redmond, and his replacement, Doug McDonald, deputy fire chief, say that being a firefighter is like becoming part of a family.
"It was wonderful to be part of that team, to feel like you're part of something and working towards a common goal," Redmond says.
The bond that develops between firefighters is one that lasts forever, and Redmond says he hopes he can keep in touch with his co-workers after he retires. As for McDonald, he says he is looking forward to following in Redmond's shoes and continuing to move the department into the future.
"Shaun's left us in great shape," McDonald says.
Burnaby fire Chief Shaun Redmond will have his walkout ceremony at the number 1 fire station, 4867 Sperling Ave., on June 21 at 10 a.m.
