Yellow Grass Fire Rescue Chief Norman Wall was presented the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal yesterday for his 25 years of selfless volunteer service and dedication to the community and surrounding area of Yellow Grass.

Established in 2003, the award recognizes exemplary long service for individuals working in a direct capacity to ensure the safety, security, and protection of Saskatchewan citizens.

Chief Wall's medal and official documentation for the award.

"It feels great and I'm proud to have received it," expressed Wall. "You want to give back and this is just one way that I can do it. I've been blessed to have my health and everything's been good. So I'm just happy to be able to help as many people as I can that have maybe had some misfortunes in the community. It's a bad day for them and you just want to do what you can to help in a situation like that. To be there for them and do what you can to assist in different ways."

Chief Wall receiving the medal yesterday.

Wall stated that the reason he became a firefighter was to be able to help people in the community when they need it the most.

After joining the Yellow Grass Fire Department in 1988, Wall worked his way through the ranks, taking on the role of Fire Chief in 2009.

Once at the helm, with the goal of completely overhauling the department, Fire Chief Wall saw that he would have to overcome many challenges to reach his ambitious objective.

From relocating the Firehall, purchasing new tools, acquiring much-improved equipment, gear, and vehicles, to the recruitment of a dedicated, eager, and passionate crew, he succeeded within a span of only a few years.

"This award was something that I wasn't expecting," Wall told. "My crew decided to put my name forward for it and it's an honour and a privilege to receive this. I've got a great crew behind me and that makes it easier to stay involved with what I'm doing. They've been very supportive and they'll do anything for me. It's a great crew to be working with and it makes the difficult situations that we go into that much easier to handle knowing that they've got my back along the way. Things have happened over the years so they are a great bunch to have by my side and it's great to be a part of their team for all of these years."

Wall said that he hopes to be able to remain in his position for many years to come and expressed that he is extremely proud of his whole crew.

"Thank you to my crew for nominating me for this award and it's been a privilege to work with them," said Wall. "I'd also like to thank the community of Yellow Grass. It's been a real honour to be able to work for them and do what I can to keep them safe over the years. So I'd like to thank everyone for all of the support that they've given me. It's been great."

Chief Wall with his Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal.