Maurice Chamberland has lived his entire adult life as a volunteer firefighter in the beautiful community of Legal, and then some. He calls it an honour to perform his duties, so it didn't ruffle his feathers that he had to do without the ceremony to mark his 40th anniversary of service, cancelled due to the pandemic. The work carries on regardless, the 56-year-old said.
Now if your head math is on to the figures in that first paragraph, you might be exclaiming to yourself, "Egads, he joined the fire department when he was only 16!"
“I was 15, actually," he calmly corrected. "It was actually Mike Gagne that ... I don’t know if you can say 'pushed,' but he got me interested in the fire department. And at the same time, we were also volunteer ambulance service. It was Mike and Ralph St. Jean, who was the chief at the time, and Rolly St. Jean, a friend of mine, that got me involved."
The date was March 16, 1980, more than six months before his 16th birthday in November.
Chamberland's parents didn't balk at the notion, even though they well knew that 16 was – and still is – the 'by the books' age for a new recruit. A few of his older brothers were volunteer firefighters as well, so they knew the drill.
"They had no problem, not at all."
The middle teen on his way to becoming a young man knew the drills, too. He started by getting his first aid and CPR courses to establish himself on the ambulance side of the service. He got his driver's licence at 16 and then his Class 2 licence at 18, getting him behind the ambulance's steering wheel.
He even had a son who was a volunteer firefighter for several years. Now, he's right up there as one of the service's longest serving members. (Gagne picked up his 45-year axe last fall.)
Trophies and kudos don't inspire Chamberland, though he still appreciates them. It's like his work, he admits: you take the good with the bad, though thankfully there's been more good.
"We've lost some homes. I mean, we've saved some as well. It goes both ways," he reflected, trying to think of one call that stood out among the others. He recalled helping revive an individual who experienced a medical issue during the celebration in 1998 to mark Legal graduating from a village to a town.
It's just another way of volunteering for the town: doing something for the greater good. Everybody gets to do their part and that was his part, he says.
"There's so many stories that, I don't know. I'd like to think the stories were all there for a reason. Bad or good, there's always a reason for it. There's so many things that happened over 40 years that it's hard to really pinpoint what was good. I guess, saving lives is the biggest thing, and just being involved in the town."
If this moment afforded him any opportunity to offer a message to his fellow townsfolk and beyond, the lifelong Legal resident noted that community service in any capacity is the big thing that everyone can do and it improves the standard of living for all.
"I’ve lived in Legal my life. It’s incredible. We have it pretty good. I think when a lot of people move to Legal or even the people that are in Legal now, I think it's just instilled in us that we volunteer. We want to make our town as best as we can for everybody. It’s a good way to get to know people and ... look out for each other a little bit. The people that volunteer, anytime we need anything, there's people that will stand up and come and volunteer, even when new people come into town. It's just something you don't see everywhere. I think we're very fortunate that we see it in Legal."
