Amy West always knew she wanted to be a fire fighter.
As a kid growing up in the small Albertan town of Picture Butte, near Lethbridge, she spent countless hours at the local fire department.
“My dad was on the fire department for as long as I’ve been alive, serving as the chief for 20 years. So even as a little kid, I was always running around the fire hall,” said West, adding that her two brothers are also a part of the Picture Butte fire department.
“It kind of runs in the family.”
On her 18th birthday, she signed up as the local detachment’s newest recruit.
She spent the next 12 years there, working her way up the ranks, eventually becoming the department’s deputy fire chief and the local EMS operations manager.
Despite being satisfied with her job, West was ready for a change.
“I’ve spent my whole life in Picture Butte,” she said. “It was time to try something new.”
Not wanting to leave her profession, West started looking for firefighter related jobs elsewhere in Alberta. Within a few weeks she stumbled across an ad seeking a deputy fire chief in Jasper. After weighing out the pros and cons, she sent in a resume.
Her first day was Nov. 7.
“There’s been a lot of mixed emotions and there was a lot of things to consider before moving here, but ultimately I had great support from my family and it was time for me to get my feet wet and experience another part of the province,” West said. “But it definitely wasn’t easy leaving a department that I’ve put a lot of my heart and soul into.
“I basically lived at that department so it was tough, but I’m excited to see what Jasper has to offer and what I can offer them.”
Now that she’s here, West said she’s adjusting well and looking forward to working with the rest of the department.
“The community is awesome and I’m loving it so far. Everyone on the fire department and in town has been so welcoming,” she said.
For years, the Jasper Fire Department only had two full-time fire fighters; fire chief Greg Van Tighem and deputy chief Don Smith.
For more than three years Van Tighem urged council to add a third full-time fire fighter to help share the workload.
In May, council finally approved his request.
With the addition of another deputy fire chief, the department will be able to conduct more fire inspections and allow both men to take some time off.
“It’s been in the works for quite a while and finally it’s been approved and we’re very excited,” said deputy chief Smith. “It makes it a lot easier on us because there’s another person to share the load with.”
In addition to sharing the workload, West will also help train Jasper’s 35 volunteer firefighters.
“The expectations have gone up over the last few years in regards to the level of training needed for our volunteers so Amy will be a great help with that,” Smith said. “But on top of that, we’re just really excited to have Amy with us.
“We think we made the right choice for our department.”
Kayla Byrne
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