My son receives award

My son, Captain Guy Smith, recently received the 2018 Fire Officer of the Year award.

At the awards ceremony Battalion Chief Brad Thompson said Guy was “Dedicated to his craft, improves the lives of all the firefighters he’s responsible for, and is dedicated to his community.”

He went on to say: “When I showed up on calls, whether it was the bush fire racing up a hill towards a residential area, or a difficult car accident… When I saw that Ladder 31 was there with captain Guy Smith and his firefighters, my confidence just shot up because I knew that Guy and his crew were going to mitigate the situation, make our community safer, and our firefighters would go home safely.”

They handed the mic to Guy and he gave a short, humble speech. I can’t fully express what it meant to see my son standing up there. This was my boy, the newborn I held in my arms so long ago, the ten year old I played with, the valedictorian of his high school. How did so much time pass so quickly?

I’ve always seen him as my boy. But watching him up there, speaking to the crowd, I saw the man he has become.

His mom and I are so proud of him, not just for the things he’s accomplished but for who he is. How did we become so blessed to have such a son?

I’ve always struggled to find the right words to explain what I feel in my heart about him. The word ‘proud’ doesn’t seem to be enough but I guess it will have to do. The English language doesn’t have a perfect word for my feelings about Guy.

We named him after my dad who was also a firefighter. Perhaps his *Afi would find the right words if he were here.

Dad, your grandson done good.

Other posts about Guy:

Guy became a captain in 2013.

In 2017 he received a Medal of Commendation and a meritorious unit citation ribbon for a very difficult rescue operation. Five of his crew also received meritorious unit citations.

*My children have an Icelandic heritage so they’ve always called my dad “Afi” which means “grandfather.”