Oct. 14 will likely be a day that Alex Stoyko will never forget. That was the day that the Ă©cole Father Jan student held the esteemed title of St. Albert fire chief for a day.
Stoyko, 5, was one of many students throughout St. Albert who had their names entered into a draw for the prestigious prize.
In the past, the St. Albert Fire Department has set up a draw box at their annual open house in the fall but not everyone gets the chance to come out and do the tour, said deputy Chief Darrel Bliss. This year, they asked schools in St. Albert to recommend students who had shown an interest in fire safety.
“We asked them if they could forward names of kids that they thought were deserving or showing an interest in fire safety or who were interested in it,” said Bliss. This year, the contest was open to students in kindergarten to Grade 3.
Nathalie Stoyko said her son wasn’t aware he had won the contest until she told him Thursday morning before school.
“He was ecstatic, he was just so happy,” she said.
On Thursday morning, a group of St. Albert firefighters headed over to Father Jan to pick up their new chief.
“He was very excited. He was just grinning from ear to ear,” said Bliss, adding that Stoyko stood up as soon as the firefighters entered the room.
As chief, his first duty was handing out prize bags to the rest of his classmates.
Next, he was given his own gear and, after a few pictures, the crew hit the road.
Being named fire chief for the day wasn’t the only surprise in store — Stoyko also received a brand new bike from Walmart.
Next the crew headed back to the fire hall where Stoyko got a tour of the facilities and was officially designated fire chief. The day ended with a free meal at McDonalds with Alex, his mom Nathalie and members of the St. Albert Fire Department.
“It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anybody,” Nathalie said. “The staff were absolutely patient, really caring. They were very nice.”
The St. Albert Fire Department has been holding the fire chief for a day contest for a number of years and Bliss said it’s a good way of encouraging kids to take more of an interest in fire safety.
“I think it’s one way of getting kids involved and bringing awareness of fire safety and fire prevention,” he said.
“It’s one way of making them aware and it’s a little bit of an incentive for them to get involved.”
