Tributes poured in last week as news spread about the passing of the man who helped unionize St. Albert’s fire department.
Frederick Lee Berg died at the Sturgeon Community Hospital Jan. 25, 2022, at age 85.
Berg served with the St. Albert fire department from the late 1960s to 1998, much of it as a captain. He was a founding member of the St. Albert Firefighters Local 2130.
Retired St. Albert firefighter Victor Fernandez was one of many St. Albert firefighters who told The Gazette that Berg was an inspiration to them. Fernandez said Berg used his years of experience to teach rookies like him the skills of firefighting and how to keep calm in an emergency. Berg’s deep, baritone voice, which got deeper as he grew more excited, reassured and inspired his young charges whenever they had to run into danger.
“He wasn’t just a captain. He was a father figure for a lot of us,” Fernandez said.
Father to his men
Berg’s son, Elzear, said his father grew up with five siblings on a farm near Brule, Alta. Berg started work at age 12 and had his right hand cut off while working at a lumber mill; miraculously, doctors managed to reattach it.
Berg later married and moved to St. Albert in 1961, where he worked for many years as a meat-cutter at Safeway.
Elzear described his father as “a pretty stern fella” who cared immensely about family. Berg was active with the Venturer Scouts program and would have his troops come over on the weekends to build kayaks in the garage. He was also a “militant” driving instructor.
“To this day, I can back any vehicle into any parallel parking space or any parking space at speeds that terrify most people,” Elzear said.
Berg was a skilled woodworker and would craft dollhouse furniture that could support an adult’s weight, Elzear said. Berg hated playing cards but was a master card cheat due to his sausage-like fingers.
Berg volunteered for the St. Albert fire department for several years before being hired full time in 1970, Elzear said. He received the Fire Services Exemplary Medal in 1988 for 20 years of service.
Fernandez said Capt. Berg was very professional on the job and expected the best from his crew.
“He taught us that we were here to do a job to protect the citizens of St. Albert,” he said, and he helped transform what was a mostly volunteer group into a professional force.
In an email, former St. Albert fighter Alex Forbes said Berg was instrumental in the formation of the local firefighters’ union.
“I spent many hours with Lee as he worked preparing for negotiations between the union and the city. What always surprised me was his ability to see issues from both sides and come to what he believed was a fair compromise for both parties involved.”
In another email, former St. Albert firefighter Victor Hugo Fernmeyer said Berg was notorious for always cranking up the thermostat at the fire hall.
“He was always cold!” he said, and in late 1988 firefighters posted a joke New Year’s prediction which read, “Lee Berg: turns up thermostat for self-comfort, and melts his entire crew.”
Berg retired in around 1998, Elzear said. Berg spent much of his later years caring for his wife, Edvige, in the Youville Home. He was awaiting transfer to a long-term care facility when he died. He was not allowed visitors at the time due to a COVID outbreak.
“I would like to say he died of loneliness,” Elzear said.
Berg was predeceased by his parents and his wife and survived by his sons, Elzear and Albert, six grandchildren, and many grandchildren. His ashes will be scattered at a later date.
Donations in Berg’s name can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
