POTLOTEK: After being recognized for his 25 years of serving as Potlotek First Nation’s Fire Chief, Wayne Johnson says serving his community is just part of who he is.
Johnson started his service back in 1998 and within three months he was promoted to Captain of the First Responder Team he was on, then that same summer he was elected to fire chief.
“I’ve been fire chief ever since,” he said. “I was 25 when I first started and I’m 50-years-old now.”
At the time he was the youngest fire chief in Nova Scotia, and to his knowledge the youngest Indigenous Fire Chief ever in the province.
Aside from being celebrated as one of Nova Scotia’s Volunteers of the Year, the community of Potlotek held an open house, where they honoured him on Nov. 18, at the local fire department.
“We did an open house and showed everyone and all the kids our new equipment and everything we had,” Johnson said. “And it was just a fun day, it was pretty awesome.”
He said while the provincial recognition was nice to receive, the community recognition was even more profound.
“It feels good when you’re recognized by your own community,” Johnson said. “When you’re recognized by people I know and when the fire department here recognized me, it felt 10,000-times better.”
Serving a population of 700, currently the Potlotek Volunteer Fire Department has 35 members and tend to everything from medical calls to fires and car accidents.
“You name it we deal with it,” Johnson said.
There’s been a rise in membership and because of this, the fire chief doesn’t have to deal with medical calls anymore, which he said is easier on him after 25 years of having to deal with tough situations.
“The younger generation who wanted to join a few years ago are now coming back in their mid 20’s and asking to join,” Johnson said. “I have a couple people who joined the medical team, and we have water rescue now so it’s a whole new ballgame out there.”
Advising he first started at the fire department because there was a need for first responders, Johnson is also one of the original grave diggers for the parish, which he continues to do.
If that wasn’t enough, he was also a band councillor for over 10 years, which he said helped him see how to attain funding for the department as a fire chief.
On Oct. 26, Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau acknowledged Johnson’s service to the community in his remarks to the Nova Scotia Legislature.
“…Wayne has volunteered as the Potlotek Fire Chief for more than 25 years, a role that is greatly respected in his community. He also actively volunteers as a first responder, bus driver, and gravedigger for the local parish,” Boudreau said, going on to say Johnson is the type of person every community dream of having. “Wayne operates an automotive shop out of his garage and is known to help people at all hours of the day. Besides his dedication to his community, he is well respected within his own family and is always willing to offer help.”
The fire chief suggested he’s always been the kind of person who will help anyone if he can.
“If I can do it, I’m going to do it.” Johnson said. “It’s just the nature of how everybody should be, if you can help somebody, you should.”