For Mario Michaud, becoming a firefighter was never simply about fighting fires.

His path into emergency services was shaped by tragedy — and by the people who showed up when his family needed help most.

Michaud lost one daughter to cancer and later lost another daughter in a highway accident. In both cases, he says, he was struck by the support and care provided by first responders.

Those experiences eventually inspired him to give something back.

“If people gave more than what they took, the world would be a better place,” Michaud says.

That philosophy has stayed with him throughout his years in emergency services, which have included search and rescue, water rescue and firefighting.

On Aug. 24, the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service announced that Michaud had been promoted from senior firefighter to Battalion Lieutenant at Station 1 in Slave Lake.

“Thank you Mario for your continued dedication to serving our region, very well deserved!” the service says in a social media post announcing the promotion.

For Michaud, however, the promotion does not represent a dramatic change in the work he does.
The responsibilities are mostly the same, he says.

As a Battalion Lieutenant, one of his responsibilities during medical calls is helping determine which crew is best suited to respond. LSRFS firefighters receive CPR and first-aid training, although they do not transport patients. The service also has firefighters who work as registered nurses, paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

Michaud’s years in rescue work have taken him well beyond traditional firefighting. One water rescue on Lesser Slave Lake remains particularly memorable.

A three-year-old girl had gotten away from her mother and was drifting toward Dog Island on an inflatable tube. When Michaud reached her, he was relieved to see that she was still alive.

But she was not wearing a life jacket and was slipping lower into the water. For Michaud, it was one of the calls that reminds him why the work matters. He says he is grateful for the calls that end with a fortunate outcome.

The Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service is responsible for considerably more than structure fires. The regional service operates five stations and covers more than 500 kilometres of primary and secondary highways.

Its emergency responses include structure and wildland fires, vehicle fires, motor-vehicle collisions, medical co-response and specialty incidents involving water, rope and hazardous materials.
The service also has specialized water-rescue capabilities, while its search-and-rescue component includes 25 volunteers.

The breadth of the service is reflected in its call volume. In 2023, LSRFS responded to 692 incidents, including 327 fire incidents, 179 rescue calls and 168 medical-assistance calls, according to the April 24, 2024 MD Lesser Slave River council agenda.

Wildfire response is another part of that responsibility.

While Michaud’s current work is focused primarily on local firefighting, he says firefighters receive training in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI — the area where forests and other wildland areas meet homes and communities.

The LSRFS has a dedicated WUI team to deal with those incidents. For Michaud, the variety of calls means there is always something to learn.

And while first responders are trained to help others through traumatic situations, they also have to deal with the emotional impact of what they see.

Michaud says resources are available to first responders, including Critical Incident Stress Management training.

He also makes a point of checking in with his crew after calls, particularly difficult ones.
On the bad calls, he reminds them: “You didn’t cause this. You were there to help.”

Michaud continues to balance his emergency-service work with a full-time job and running his own company.

Despite those other commitments, firefighting and rescue remain something he is passionate about.
His promotion comes at a time when the regional fire service is also looking for more people willing to take on the demands of the job.

The Municipal District of Lesser Slave River recently issued a call for volunteer firefighters, describing the role as “not merely a job — a way of life.”

Volunteer firefighters help the LSRFS provide rapid responses to emergencies, host fire-safety education sessions and support activities at local fire halls.

The service is looking for people who can work as part of a team, think quickly in high-stress situations and demonstrate leadership.

Basic requirements include a valid Alberta Class 5 driver’s licence, Grade 12 or equivalent, a criminal record and vulnerable-sector check, a driver’s abstract and the ability to pass the LSRFS physical-agility test.

Standard first aid and CPR and previous firefighting experience are considered assets.
Volunteers are trained in a wide range of areas, including fire science, fire suppression, vehicle extrication, hazardous-materials operations, technical rescue, water rescue, incident command, fire prevention and public education.

The time commitment varies by station.

At Station 1 in Slave Lake, volunteers are expected to commit approximately six hours per week — about three hours of scheduled training and three hours responding to emergency calls.

At the Widewater, Smith and Flatbush stations, the estimated commitment is three to four hours per week, including scheduled training and emergency responses.

Additional training and education opportunities are available throughout the year, including local and internationally certified courses.

Those in Slave Lake and the surrounding area who would like to meet Lieutenant Michaud and his crew outside of an emergency can often do so at community events and public gatherings throughout the year.

One of the more informal opportunities is the annual summer gathering at Alimo’s Pizzeria at 217 2 Ave NW, where firefighters, junior firefighters, volunteers and their families gather for a free ice-cream event and bring fire trucks for the public to see.

The Alimo’s gathering is part of a longstanding relationship between the restaurant and the fire service. Owner Moe Mouallem said the restaurant has hosted the firefighter ice-cream event roughly eight to 10 times over the years.

The relationship grew following a 2019 pizza mix-up that saw Slave Lake firefighters accidentally order pizzas from a restaurant in San Antonio, Texas, which they ultimately donated to local firefighters there.

For Michaud, the willingness to train, respond and support others is at the heart of the job. Now, after years of answering calls for others, he has taken on a new leadership role in the service, allowing him to continue giving back to the community that he chose to serve.

The Lakeside Leader would like to extend its gratitude to Lieutenant Michaud and to all first responders who dedicate their time, skills and courage to keeping the region safe.

William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader