Parksville’s fire department has seven new recruits who were presented their badges and yellow hats at a graduation ceremony on April 7.
The members of the 2021 graduating class, who went through training beginning in May 2020, are Niels Bjornson, Ethan Marquis, Sean Mikolajewski, Travis Rathburn, Tonis Tutti, Kirk Wolstenholme and Christina Zanchetta.
The graduation ceremony held at the firehall was modified due to COVID-19 protocols. It only had the recruits, fire chief Marc Norris and training officers. No family members and guests were present.
Norris congratulated and welcomed the new recruits for the many hours of dedication and hard work over the past year. He said was challenging journey for the new members as they went through their training while navigating COVID-19 safety precautions.
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“Our newest recruits proved they were up for the task, successfully completing their first year of training, demonstrating skills and dedication,” said Norris. “It is my pleasure to welcome this new batch of recruits into our ranks and to the Parksville Fire Rescue family.”
Parksville Fire Rescue is a composite department of paid on-call volunteer firefighters and career firefighters providing fire and rescue services to the Parksville Fire Protection Area. It has served the community since 1942, responding to emergencies 365 days a year.
Details about recruitment as well as a junior program for those under age 19 may be viewed on the department’s website at https://www.parksvillefirerescue.ca/recruitment
— NEWS Staff, submitted