Seven MacGregor Firefighters have been recognized for their many years of service in the line of duty.

Doug Muir, Stacey Knelsen, Robert Sattler, Mike Desrosiers, Phil Reimer, Mike Hill, and Dustin Hildebrandt were all honoured for 20+ years of service with Exemplary Service Medals from the Office of the Fire Commissioner. At the same time, Glenn Purkess was celebrated for 25+ years with a Governor General Award.

"I think it's a very important part of our fire service to recognize our members that have put in the time and dedication," says MacGregor Fire Chief Chris Leckie. " A lot of the time, they have missed stuff from their families while they're responding to calls."

Leckie says every single one of these men was deserving of acknowledgement.

"We've been, side-by-side, a lot of years together," continues the Fire Chief. "I've fought fires with them and progressed throughout the years with these volunteers. It's really reassuring that they are there to help serve our communities and look out for everybody."

Leckie was the one who handed out the awards, and he says that usually, this type of ceremony is held annually for one or two people. However, seeing what happened this year with many firefighters praised is unique.

"It was a busy night for everyone with a lot of awards to hand it out, but you know they're very deserving, and it was a great evening."

When all was said and done, a total of 165 years of medals were handed out to these seven men during MacGregor's firefighter's appreciation evening.

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