District Chief John Long Awarded Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

    On February 22nd, District Chief John Long was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his many years of tireless service to the residents of Long Reach.  Since joining the department in 1972, Dist. Chief Long has taken on a number of roles.  He is the primary person who looks after our communications system, and is also the long standing president of the Long Reach Fire Protection Association.  In recent years, John has volunteered hundreds of hours working with neighbouring fire departments to implement our “Mutual Aid” system, which ensures that in the event of a large fire, neighbouring departments will work together safely and effectively.  This system has been utilized many times over the years, most recently at the Whelpley Fire at Carter’s Point, and at the Alderbrook Fire in Quispamsis.    Over the years, John’s volunteerism has extended beyond the range of the LRFD.  During the spring floods of 2008, John took his “Argo”, a floating all terrain vehicle, to Darling’s Island, to assist residents who were trapped by the rising water.  John regularly attends meetings of the Royal Firefighters Association and the Maritime Fire Chiefs Association, and brings the knowledge learned from those meetings back to the station.

    During his over 40 years with the department, John has seen it grow from a small group of well intentioned volunteers, to a professionally trained group of over 20 members.  He’s spent countless hours working to move the department forward, to keep up with the ever changing needs of the community and as such, is a most deserving recipient of this prestigious award.