Reynolds has a ball celebrating and helping its firefighters

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This article was published 07/11/2024 (181 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over 150 well-dressed revellers came to feast, dance and raise over $10,000 for the Reynolds Fire Department at the first-ever Fireman’s Ball in Prawda.

Organizer Lindsay Cabral had one more surprise up her sleeve for the evening of Nov. 2: the man who trained almost all the firefighters made the trip to honour the Reynolds crew, Troy Walker.

“Without Troy this would not be possible; I was like Troy has to be here. I don’t care how we get him here, but we have to get him here, because you were able to work with these guys over the last year. Even though you took my husband away from me for a very long time,” said a jovial Cabral with Walker standing beside her.

Walker’s started training the Reynolds fire crew in the fall of 2022. The Winnipeg firefighter also works as a contract instructor with Manitoba Emergency Services College based out of Brandon, training firefighters for the last 25 years.

Walker said Reynolds Fire Chief Don McDougall asked him to train the team for their level one after moving over from Richer’s department, where Walker trained McDougall. The chief now has both levels from the college.

“Almost everybody on the department,” said Walker on who in Reynolds he has trained.

That is what made Cabral’s idea to invite him extra special when everyone was called up to the front of the hall in Prawda. Walker was able to describe every one of the people he trained, and what that experience was like.

“Some of the training is very intense but we have a lot of laughs. When it’s game time, it’s game time,” he said.

Walker added that when he got the invite, he thought it was a great idea.

“Especially with the recent upheaval here, the issues that came with that. It was great to see someone like Don come in, and he was the right guy at the right time,” said Walker.

Chief McDougall came in 2022 and set to work on recruitment, retention and training after resignations of the last chief and most of the members. The fire department now has 17 members.

“There’s a huge difference now,” said a proud Walker.

“You’ve got good guys in the right positions.”

The experience ranges from Chief McDougall’s 22 years and Captain Terrance Birss’s 21 years, to 2024 new recruit Kieran McDougall and Cabral’s husband Kevin Cabral with one year.

Lindsay Cabral and those helping her put in hours of work to put on the event, with Cabral even refusing to allow wrinkled table covers and coming in and spending two hours to iron them each herself. There were also 160 handmade cards for the tables.

“I wanted everyone coming in to feel appreciated,” said Cabral.

The firefighters showed their dedication the same weekend, taking part in training exercises all weekend before and after the Ball.

But during the Ball they took a break to show off their incredible camaraderie during a fun pose with fake moustaches while holding signs covered in their favourite insider catchphrases. Walker would only say you have to think about it when asked what “20 dollars is 20 dollars” means, giving another nod to the closeness of the crew.

Cabral is ready to dedicate another big effort at the second Fireman’s Ball in 2026. She hopes it continues as a biannual event.

-With files from Jordan Ross