Page 14 - The Brandon Sun - 2017 Community Leader Awards

14 • COMMUNITY LEADER AWARDS THE BRANDON SUN • THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

» EMERGENCY SERVICES AWARD

Wawanesa volunteer fire chief
Dennis Gullett won the
Emergency Services Award.
(Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Gullett’s duties go beyond service calls

BY MICHAELA SOLOMON “ “He’s the ultimate volunteer. If you ask
anybody in the area, they would tell you that
The name is not unknown to the residents of Oakland- he’s basically the main volunteer. If someone
Wawanesa. In a close community, emergency service providers needs something done, he’s the first one they
like volunteer Fire Chief Dennis Gullett know that their duties
go beyond the 911 calls. go to.”

Gullett said he has a passion for the community he serves, — BRUCE GULLETT
and the people who live there. He has been nominated for the talking about Dennis Gullett
Community Leader Award for Emergency Services.
They’ll all show up!” emergency equipment, like defibrillators.
Gullett attended the Manitoba Emergency Services College, Just as the community relies on Gullett and his team, he said Gullett was nominated for the Community Leader Award by
and has been a firefighter for 25 years. The Wawanesa and
District Volunteer Fire Department consists of 28 members when something goes awry in town, he can rely on the former Wawanesa mayor, Bruce Gullett.
from the R.M. of Oakland, Green Acres Colony, and community for a hand too. As chair of the Souris River Recreation Commission, Bruce
Wawanesa. All members participate in eight training sessions
per year, to maintain their techniques and keep up to date with “If we end up flooding and have sandbagging to do, we have is involved in maintaining areas like campgrounds and water
new equipment. anywhere from the high school kids coming to help sandbag, parks. He said he thought Dennis was deserving of this award
to the senior ladies making us lunch,” Gullet said. “It’s a great for many reasons, one of which was that he took the lead on
“It’s so important to donate your time to the community,” community for that.” fundraising when the Wawanesa Waterpark was built.
Gullet said. “The more time we can donate the more we can
get for our smaller community.” Every summer the volunteer firefighters bring the community “He’s the ultimate volunteer,” Bruce said. “If you ask anybody
of Wawanesa together for a pancake breakfast as their way of in the area, they would tell you that he’s basically the main
Gullett has all the responsibilities you would assume a giving back to the community. Gullett said they also hold fire volunteer. If someone needs something done, he’s the first one
dedicated volunteer to have, and then some. He’s also a team safety week, where they spend a week putting on safety they go to.”
leader, and said one of the most important traits of a strong demonstrations for children.
leader is positive thinking, and the ability to propel the team to Bruce stressed that he couldn’t think of a more worthy
new heights. “We did a course on how to use a defibrillator last fall,” Gullett recipient, citing Gullett’s willingness to lend a hand wherever
said. “We put on basic CPR courses for the community too.” it’s needed.
“You have to be able to look to the future and not worry about
what’s happened in the past,” Gullett said. Feedback from kids is amazing, according to Gullett. “He did a lot of the volunteer work needed at the waterpark,”
“The kids just love it, everybody loves firefighters!” Gullett Bruce said. “He helped rebuild our campgrounds after it was
He took notes from previous volunteer fire chief, Mel Roney, said, with a laugh. destroyed in the 2011 flood, and continues to volunteer.”
who he said inspired him to be a community leader. The fire department volunteers are currently trying to do extra
fundraising so that the town can have access to more necessary » The Brandon Sun
“He got me into firefighting,” Gullett said. “Basically I
watched what he did and tried to do something similar.”

There’s a strong sense of community in Wawanesa that Gullett
said is unique, and runs throughout the generations.

“We have a strong group of volunteers in town,” Gullett said.
“We can do a project and have everyone from 14-year-old kids
from the hockey teams, to 85-year-olds who are still curling.

Browett focuses on fellowship

BY MICHAELA SOLOMON Browett has given time to a variety of Terry Browett with Brandon Fire and Emergency Services mans the hose while flooding the skating
organizations in the past. He was on the board rinks at Valleyview Community Centre. (File)
Terry Browett has decades of experience at Christian Heritage School before serving as
serving the City of Brandon. its president, he volunteers at Samaritan House,
and he likes to help out with the charity fund
After attending post secondary at the through his job.
Manitoba Emergency Services College, Browett
found employment at the Brandon Fire and He’s always had the desire to serve others,
Emergency Services, where he has been a and grew up watching his parents lend a hand
firefighter for 23 years. to friends and the community growing up.
Browett said their influence is part of the reason
Browett is in his second term of representing that giving to the community is so important
members of Brandon Professional Firefighter to him.
Paramedics Association Local 803, as president.
He has been nominated for the Community “I was always encouraged to be part of things
Leader Award in the category of Emergency and volunteer my time as a kid.” Browett said.
Services. “They were always there, helping people out
when they needed a hand, no specific
As a union president, Browett handles the organization.”
members needs such as contract negotiations.
He said it makes life busy, but that everyone Browett specifically recalled his father's
has a responsibility to donate some time to the influence on his desire to help others.
community.
“My dad was kind of a handyman so people
“You’re fortunate to be put in the position always came to him to help out. He would
you’re in,” Browett said. “Part of that, at least always take me along, and that was the thing
in my upbringing is that it’s your duty to give you did you helped people out.”
back to the community in your time off.”
Recently, he’s been transition into
Apart from his work in emergency services, volunteering more with his childrens schools
Browett sits on the board of the Westman and and teams. Browett has three children with his
Area Traditional Christmas Dinner, which has wife of 20 years.
been providing holiday feasts to the community
for 32 years. Last year, the event served “I’ve done a lot of volunteering,” Browett
approximately 3,000 Christmas dinners, in said. “But it’s more my family and kids right
addition to the approximate 1,100 delivered now. They’re at that age where they’re into a
throughout the community. lot of sports so there’s a lot of volunteering with
that.”
“It’s open to anyone,” Browett said.
“Whether you’re rich, poor, or just need Browett said his daughter is exploring
somebody to be around at Christmas time. It’s developmental soccer, and his son plays high
a great way to express community and school football and rugby
fellowship.”
“I try to volunteer where I can.”
Browett said the event has been an excellent Browett is passionate about the services
way to welcome newcomers to Canada, and provided to the community through their
make sure they feel warmly welcomed into the integrateds Fire/EMS system, and credits the
community. twenty-six 911 dispatchers in Manitoba who
manage all emergency calls for the province.
“The event wouldn’t happen without the
volunteers,” Browett added. » The Brandon Sun