The Morris Fire Department recognized two firefighters who have given 20 years of service to the community.

Town Of Morris CAO Brigitte Doerksen presented the medals, which were brought a mutual aid meeting by the representative of the Office of the Fire Commissioner.

Fire Chief Wes Zilkie and Deputy Fire Chief Trevor Thiessen are two rural firefighers with the department, and have put in 20 years' worth of valuable time and effort.

"I'm honoured to have received the medal," said Zilkie.

Fire Chief Wes Zilkie

"There's so many aspects of the job that have changed," he said. "Firefighting has change drastically, safety is a huge aspect, it's always been an aspect but more and more with turnout gear."

Zilkie is a business owner in Morris, and says it's one of the reasons he's been able to stay with the same fire department for so long.

"You volunteer your time for the community because you're putting something back into the community because they community is supporting you," Zilkie said.

"When I came to this town I joined the fire department and I liked what it did and I like what it represented, slowly through the years I moved up through the ranks," he added.

Deputy Fire Chief Trevor 

Deputy Fire Chief Trevor ThiessenThiessen has been with the department for almost 25 years. Thiessen joined at an early age, and is currently 42-years-old. He said one of the reasons he first joined the department was because his parents has done so as well.

"When you live in a small community, part of it is giving back," he said.

He agrees that many aspects of the job have changed over time.

"We're certainly more aware of our training. There's a lot of different liability things that come into play now so we're very aware of making sure that we train diligently," Thiessen said.