The Penhold fire chief has a new bar to add on to an already prestigious medal.
Jim Pendergast was presented with a 10-year exemplary service bar to his Fire Services Exemplary Service medal during a ceremony with the lieutenant-governor on June 21.
“There was pomp and circumstance,” Pendergast said of the ceremony in Calgary. Lt.-Gov. Donald Ethell was marched in with a colour party and presented the medal to Pendergast along with Doug Griffiths, the provincial minister for municipal affairs.
“The letter I got was from the Governor General,” Ethell said.
The bar was for another 10 years of exemplary service. The medal itself was awarded to Pendergast in 2001 for 20 years of exemplary service, bringing his total of recognized service to 30 years.
The exemplary service award is not merely given out for serving a certain number of years. The service has to have been recognized as outstanding.
“You have to be nominated,” Pendergast said. The nomination is then considered by a committee.
Pendergast said Rick Binnendyk, the chief administrative officer for Penhold, nominated the chief for his bar.
“I was surprised that I was nominated,” Pendergast said. “It's not guaranteed, that's for sure.”
Pendergast has been serving in Penhold for about three years but has served in fire services throughout the province. However, Pendergast has been involved in fire services almost his whole life.
Pendergast said his father was a firefighter in the air force. When Pendergast was about five years old, his family was stationed in Scoudouc, N.B. and lived in a house that was attached to the fire hall. Any time the bell rang to go out to a scene, the young Pendergast was an eager participant.
“The first two things on the fire truck were me and my cat,” Pendergast said.
When Pendergast was about 15 and his father was stationed at Canadian Forces Base Penhold, a hangar fire saw him helping by running dispatch on the radio all night.
He formally started his job as a fire services member in Devon, Alta. in 1980. The Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal is only available to those who have been firefighters since the medal was struck in 1985.
Pendergast received the Alberta Emergency Services Medal in 2003. He also recently received recognition for 25 years of service from the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association.
