A Night to Celebrate. The 2025 Kindersley Fire Department Annual Banquet

3 weeks ago

2 minutes read

April 12th, 2025, was certainly a day to remember for a couple of reasons. This was the day the Kindersley Fire Department celebrated with their annual awards night and banquet—and there was actually an alarm that went off during the event! I can’t ever recall a time when that’s happened.

A dozen firefighters had to leave the banquet to respond to the emergency. Four remained on scene for nearly two hours, while the other eight were able to return after the first hour. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious, but it did delay the evening’s proceedings just a little bit.

Emcee Randy Schmidt got the ball rolling at 6:30. He spoke about the fire department and all the sacrifices its members make, being away from their friends and families. After that, Loreen Jeffries said grace, and then we headed to the delicious food prepared by Kelly Skapac and her crew at Simply Satisfied Catering—bacon-wrapped chicken with roast beef, potatoes, green beans, salads, buns, and dessert. Who could ask for anything more?

After dinner and once most of the firefighters had returned to the hall, Aleesha Bruinooge and Lane Story gave heartfelt toasts to the firefighters and their families. The speeches and awards followed. Chief Jeff Soveran was his usual short self and had to adjust the microphone down to his level! He spoke eloquently about the support they receive from the RCMP and EMS, who make their jobs a little easier.

Town Councillor Kevin Martin was next up and gave greetings from the Town, even sneaking in a humorous story. RM #290 Reeve Lionel Story also gave a heartfelt thank you to everyone for their dedication and hard work. April Matthewson from Kindersley EMS also expressed her thanks to all. The Town of Kindersley’s CAO, Audrey Hebert, was also on hand to help distribute awards, adding an official touch to the celebration.

Following the speeches, it was time to give out the awards:

Jeff “The Chief” Soveran – 35 years of service

Myles “Mikey” Perrin – 30 years of service

Justin “Smitty” Smith – 10 years of service

Cody “The Scribe” Phinney – 5 years of service

After the awards came music and movie trivia hosted by Judy Lavoie, Jenna Lavoie, and Shae Atkinson. It was fun to try and guess the names of songs and the artists!

Following that were a few hours of blackjack, and all the tables were full. Town Councillors Shaun Henry and Anthony Barlow were guest dealers, as were Jeff Belitski, Grant Caswell, Chris Greene, Sheldon Sarada, Gary Thalheimer, and Kendall Graham. Mercedes Barlow helped all the dealers by making sure their card “shoes” were full and reshuffled.

All in all, it was a memorable night for the Kindersley Fire Department—a celebration of service, community, and the kind of commitment that doesn’t take a night off, even during a party.

By: Kevin Martin
Photo Credit: Melissa Martin