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Fire Chief Retires after 40 Years of Dedicated Service
Fire Chief Retires after 40 Years of Dedicated Service
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
Glenda Dales wanted to keep her retirement from the Mundare Fire Service as low key as possible, without any fanfare; but when you’ve spent the better part of your adult life serving the community, it’s next to impossible to keep that kind of news under wraps.
Lamont County Regional Fire Chief Bo Moore said, “There are no specific ceremonies or additional recognition planned for this milestone at her request. She has completed over 40 years of dedicated service to Mundare Fire Rescue and then after regionalization to Lamont County Emergency Services. We thank her for her dedication and professionalism, and wish her the best in her retirement!”
Mundare town council also wanted to thank Chief Dales for her service to the fire department which began in 1993. At it’s June 18 meeting, council passed a motion to give Dales a $1,000 travel voucher for her longstanding service to the community.
Dales first began as a firefighter with the Chipman Fire Department prior to her service in Mundare. She explained, “I joined the Chipman Fire Department in spring 1984 because we had a very large fire on our property and they said we always need firefighters. So, I asked if they’d accept a female.” The answer was an unequivocal, “Absolutely.” Dales said Chipman Fire Chief Gary Stead always encouraged her. “I just started taking courses, and more courses, and going to Vermilion. I took any type of training that was available.” After only one year with the Chipman Fire Department Dales became Deputy Fire Chief.
Dales said there was no training available locally, and that’s why she went to the fire training school in Vermilion. She would try to complete a couple of courses a year. “Each course was a week long, so you’d be away from home.” That required some juggling as she had a child at home.
Dales knew former Mundare Fire Chief Dale McCarty, who always told her they could use firefighters. She joined the Mundare Fire Department in 1993 after nine years of service in Chipman. She served as training officer for a number of years before becoming deputy chief and then fire chief in 1999 when McCarty stepped down from his position.
Fire training, equipment and service has changed a lot since Dales first began her firefighting duties. Her advice to people thinking about becoming a firefighter or are already a firefighter, “Stay with it. Encourage other people. When I first started, I did a lot of interviews, simply to get the word out. I was the only female firefighter in this county and going to Vermilion I was typically the only female on the course. The odd time you’d get a female, but there were challenges. So, encourage other women. Don’t let those challenges hold you back. Keep going forward.”
Prior to retiring, Dales said she spoke with her firefighting family in Mundare and about where they want to be in the next five years. “I’ve tried to set a good example and given them a path, and for them to continue that path and make that path better because they’re going to have their own ideas and their own way of doing things.”
As to what she’ll miss the most? “I won’t say the members because that’s not going to go away. But the ability go out and help. I truly love going out on calls whether it’s out on fires or medical calls where I can help people. I’m not losing the friendships. These members have seen me through a lot through the years. The fire service is a family.”
Some of her most memorable moments include the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Mundare Fire Department in 2017. The highlight was cutting the cake with the honour guard’s ceremonial sword. The other was being present when Bob Mitchell received his certificate for 70 years of service with the Lamont Fire Department. “That was quite an honour. I’d been on a lot of calls with Bob.”
While it’s sad to step down, Dales said, it’s time to let other firefighters move forward. She is ready for the next phase and has already planned her annual trip to New York in September. She is heavily involved with the Fire Investigation Association of Alberta, and plans to attend the international conference next spring. Additionally, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her two young granddaughters.
