It isn’t often you’re out saving lives on the very first day on your very first route.
But there Stapleton was, all those years ago, ferrying some of Moose Jaw’s most vulnerable as the Gulf Oil conflagration raged on Dec. 1, 1980.
More than four decades later, including 39 years as a firefighter, Stapleton officially retired on Sunday, Feb. 7 as a senior captain with the Moose Jaw Fire Department.
Stapleton had been fuelling and cleaning busses in the weeks leading up to that fateful day in 1980, but finally was assigned a route as a driver when…
“It was my first day driving the bus, then the manager comes on when I got downtown and says ‘get this bus up to Chateau St. Michaels and start evacuating people’, and all I could think of is ‘that’s not my bus route,’” Stapleton said. “So we were able to evacuate a lot of people and 13 months later I transferred to the fire department and I’ve been there for another 39 years after that.”
Interestingly enough, firefighting wasn’t first on Stapleton’s list of vocations when he graduated high school. He was more focused on joining another organization designed to serve and protect.
“Out of high school I wanted to be a policeman, but I’m a third-generation firefighter for the City of Moose Jaw, my great-grandfather and grandfather were firefighters over 100 years ago,” Stapleton explained. “So I had applied for the fire department and police department and had been going through different police departments hoping to get hired and waiting, but then I got the call to transfer to the Moose Jaw Fire Department and that was it.”
So off Stapleton went to fire school and… actually, ‘fire school’ was a little different back in the day.
“You walk in back door at the old hall, they give you some gear and you jump on the back of the truck between these two guys and they’ll teach you everything you need to know. It was kind of a ‘what have I got myself into here,’” Stapleton said with a laugh. “But I had great mentors, they taught me well.”
Stapleton himself spent plenty of time upgrading his skills, of course, learning the ins and outs of confined space, high angle, low angle and trench rescues, a steady stream of levelling up throughout his career.
“It’s all valuable experience, we might not know if we need it tomorrow, next week or next year so you have to keep up on everything,” he said.
As he spent time at the local firehouses, Stapleton rose through the ranks. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2007, Shift Captain in 2012, to Assistant Chief in 2016 and into his final position as Senior Captain on February 14, 2020.
And through it all, the legendary camaraderie and closeness firefighters experience with their fellow crew members helped make it all worthwhile.
“It’s a very rewarding career at the department, it’s a second family,” Stapleton said. “You spend a lot of time with the crews you’re on, and the camaraderie and the teamwork in the profession are always there. You work holidays and weekends, the fire hall is just a little bit special, we’re very close.”
That especially rings true in the most dangerous of situations. And Stapleton was there for some of the worst fires in Moose Jaw’s history.
He might not have been manning the hoses for the Gulf Oil blaze, but he was there for the Empress Hotel fire in 1987. And the McKarr’s Furniture fire and Bridge House Hotel fires in 1988, with the latter carrying a distinct memory.
“I remember driving across the bridge the Ninth Avenue Bridge and you could see the smoke going over the bridge so we knew we had something bad,” Stapleton said.
Then, of course, there’s the 2004 New Year’s Day fire, a conflagration that destroyed half a city block on Main Street and left much of what remained covered in inches of ice.
Regardless of what was in front of him, Stapleton always did his best to help ensure the best outcome possible — something his colleagues most certainly appreciated.
“Throughout Rod’s career he has been a superior role model and mentor for new employees and his peers,” said Fire Chief Rod Montgomery. “Rod’s attention to detail, easy-going demeanour and work ethic were second to none. His many years as a firefighter, then as an officer were exceptional and were evident in the respect he had from the MJFD administration and his fellow members.”
For his part, Stapleton was just doing the job as he knew it.
“There are so many good things and bad things… you get a call and you have to mitigate the problem when you get there, you have limited information until you arrive,” he said. “You’re starting your plan on the way there, but until you get there and see what you have, you never really know. All you can do is hope it turns out for the good and you can help people out.”
It wasn’t all fires, medical emergencies and accidents, though. Being in public and working alongside the Local 553 Moose Jaw Firefighters Union with their charitable works was also a source of pride.
“We fundraise not only for the provincial burn unit, but we have our own charity fund that we have different events for the year and make donations to different causes,” Stapleton said. “Then there are things like Habitat for Humanity, they might need some drywall hauled in or something like that and we’d be happy to help. Even just the fire prevention and taking the trucks out in public, it’s always a lot of fun.”
Stapleton was recognized multiple times for his craft, receiving including the 20-Year Exemplary Service Medal in 2002, the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal in 2009 and his 30-Year Exemplary Service Bar in 2013.
As for his plans now that he doesn’t have to show up to work anymore?
“I’m going to get out and do a little more golfing, that I haven’t done as much lately, I have two weddings coming up, both my kids are engaged. Then once COVID is over, do some travelling,” he said.
“I’m just thankful for my family and friends and their support over the years. You miss a lot of birthdays, Christmases, sporting events, dance recitals. It’s good to have that family support where they understand you’re doing something you believe in.”
