The History of the Vegreville Fire Department
1909 Fire Chief M. McInnis
1911 Fire Chief William Rogers
1945-48 Fire Chief Frank Allore (15-18 firemen)
1950 Fire Chief Armond Mercier (15 firemen)
1961-62 The town purchased the former Allore garage as a fire hall and added 2 suites on the east side for firemen’s living quarters
1963 Vegreville Rural Fire Association formed
1964 Fire Chief Orville Tebbutt took over with Ass’t Chief Harold Wade in the passing of Chief Armond Mercier
1987-88 March 4th: Long term secretary/treasurer of the Vegreville Rural Fire Protection Association, Fred Duke, retires after 24 years of service. Leonard Ferguson takes up the task
1989 32 firefighters in strength and practice every Monday night
1992-95 Fire Chief Al Roach
1996 Fire Chief Dale Lefebvre
1996 Vicki Collison hired as Administration Asst.
1996 Al Robert is appointed Deputy Fire Chief
1997 Fire Chief Dale Lefebvre
1998 The Vegreville Fire Department has moved into a newly completed Emergency Services Building
1998 April: Jerrold Lemko is appointed Fire Chief
1998 September: Lakeland Ambulance Services is now working out of the Emergency Services Building
1999 October: Mark Lucas is appointed Deputy Chief
2002 Junior Fire Fighters’ Program introduced
2003 January: Ladies’ Auxiliary Formed
2005 January: Dave King appointed as Public Relations Manager
2005 April: Gary Faas appointed as Safety Officer
2005 May: VFD Website Launched
2005 Vicki Collison has been appointed as the Full Time Secretary and will be working out of the Emergency Services Building
2006 July: Chris Jardine appointed The Fire Services Coordinator.
Maltese Cross:
When a courageous band of crusaders, the Knights of St. John, fought the Saracens for possession of the Holy Lands, they were faced with a new device of war…...FIRE!!!
As the crusaders advanced on Jerusalem, the Saracens pelted them with glass bombs full of naphtha, and then threw down flaming torches. Hundreds of Knights were burned alive while others risked their lives to save their kinsmen from fiery deaths. Thus these became the first fire fighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded them with the badge of honor, similar to the cross that firefighters wear today.
Since the Knights of St. John lived nearly four centuries on the island of Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, the cross came to be known as the Maltese Cross. The firefighter who wears this cross is willing to lay down their life for others, just as the crusaders sacrificed their lives for their fellow man so many years ago.
