Michelle Vandevord. (submitted photo)

By Jaryn Vecchio

National Recognition

Muskoday Fire Captain receives prestigious national award

Jun 20, 2023 | 1:00 PM

A Saskatchewan firefighter is one of three women in Canada being recognized on the national stage.

Michelle Vandevord was recently recognized through the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Awards Program which aims to address the disproportionate impact of climate change-related conflict and insecurity on women and girls.

The program was created to honour the 20^th anniversary of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution that aimed to recognize women as powerful agents of change.

Vandevord is a captain with the Muskoday First Nation Volunteer Fire Department, the first female to hold that title. She’s also the associate director for the Saskatchewan First Nation Emergency Management (SFNEM), the president of the Prince Albert Grand Council’s (PAGC) Search, Rescue & Recovery, and the first female president of the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada (AFAC).

She told paNOW she actually found out she received the award last year but had to keep it a secret for several months.

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“It was nice to finally share that news with my family,” she said.

Vandevord was nominated by her former mentor Dr. Lilia Yumagulova, the director for Preparing our Home — a program that aims to help Indigenous youth become emergency preparedness leaders in their communities.

“It’s been a huge honour watching the youth go to this program and how they go home and implement some of the things that they learned,” Vandevord said.

While she’s happy to be recognized for the work she’s done as a firefighter and a leader, she’s hoping this will inspire more girls to follow in her footsteps.

“One of the main reasons why I joined the fire department years ago was to show my daughters that girls can do anything; it’s not just a job for boys,” she said. “I remember years ago going to a controlled burn and there were three little girls there and their eyes just lit up when they saw me take off my helmet and realized there was a girl underneath all that gear.”

The two other recipients of the award also live in Western Canada.

Sheri Lysons is a fire chief from the Adams Lake Indian Band in British Columbia, while Darlene Yellow Old Woman-Munro, is an elder, chief, and the Treaty 7 Zone Director, Medical Services Branch for the Siksika Nation in Alberta.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow