It was a day of mixed emotions for Randy Vezina, as he said goodbye to his family at North Bay Fire and Emergency Services.
Hired on February 6, 1989, as a firefighter for the City of North Bay, Vezina wrapped up his career as Captain, Fire Prevention Friday.
“This morning, the firefighters invited me into their kitchen, and that is a sacred area. Not everyone goes up there to have a meal. They invited me yesterday for lunch and this morning for breakfast and I’m certainly going to miss the guys, their wit and the camaraderie, the absolute fun that I’ve had with the guys over the years.”
Known for his deep bombing voice, Vezina has spent the better part of his life working in emergency services.
“I spent seven years with Toronto Police, two years with Toronto Fire and almost 30 years here. It took me about two years to decide to retire, and eventually, the time was right. I feel really good about it. Everybody likes everybody, and I’m leaving on good terms, so it’s just a good time to go.”
Looking back over his career with pride, he recounts the professionalism displayed by those he worked with, often in dire situations.
“We witnessed a lot of tragic fires over the last few decades. One memory that sticks with me is pulling up to the Commonwealth Plywood fire. You could not imagine what that looked like. The entire sky was on fire. It was one of the most profound things that I have ever, ever seen. When we pulled up it was like something out of a movie. The flames, the extent of the fire was phenomenal. It was quite a sight,” said Vezina.
“Just the magnitude of that fire. And we didn’t have pressurized water at that site either and we had to scramble for water. And of course a lot of wood products and wood frame buildings. It was a fire that spread immediately and became huge in a matter of minutes. I remember that night too we were approaching one of the buildings when all of a sudden, an acetylene tank blew. The tank weighs about 150 to 200 pounds, and it just flew by the head of one of the firefighters. I’ll never that. I’ll never forget seeing that big propane vessel come so close to hitting him.”
And then there were those times spent educating people about fire safety, whether it was during school visits, or speaking one-on-one with adults in the community.
“It’s one thing to tell somebody they have to do something, but to educate them to get them to see the positive results of common fire safety practices, is the route to take. I feel we’ve had quite a positive impact on the community.”
Applying the fire code is not the most popular thing to be doing, especially when it costs people money, but Fire Chief Jason Whiteley notes that Randy was always able to work with the public, keeping people on track.
“Randy has been a pretty integral part of the team since I’ve been here. He supervises our Fire Prevention division. He’s got a very good demeanor. He can be tough when he needs to be, but really works with the stakeholders to ensure that we get fire safety compliance,” said Whiteley.
“We have our little banter back and forth throughout the day which is always fun, taking pokes at each other. So I’m going to really miss that with Randy because we’ve had a lot of really good laughs.”
Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bechard is Vezina’s immediate supervisor.
“Randy has been instrumental in keeping this community safe over the years, coming up with unique solutions to fire safety within the community and certainly spearheading it. He’s certainly a well-known name in this community for sure.”
Vezina said it is the people he will miss the most.
And when asked about any pranks over the years, Vezina would only laugh.
“Oh yeah, countless pranks. That’s what emergency services do, that’s what firefighters do. Absolutely lots of pranks. I’ll Just leave it at that,” he grinned.
After today, he can breathe easy whenever he hears the wail of the sirens.
“When I hear those sirens I will know that I am not on call, and I will not have to go anywhere. I can stay at home and watch my movie or whatever else I’m doing.”
Retirement will be short-lived.
Vezina is taking the month of July off, before starting his next career at Premier Mining and Pilot Diamond Tools Ltd., focusing on occupational health and safety, and fire code compliance.