A volunteer firefighter has been recognized for his heroic actions at the 2024 Community Leader Awards.

Nathan Meyer, who has been volunteering with the Coldstream Fire Department for 10 years, received the Emergency Services Award.

The award is given to an individual who makes a positive contribution to the community by going the extra mile, over and above the call of duty. The individual is exemplary in the area of emergency services and unselfishly shoulders enormous responsibility while accepting the potential risks and challenges of the job.

At just 19-years-old, Meyer started volunteering with Coldstream鈥檚 fire department. Since then, he has committed himself to serving the community, undergoing training and dedicating his time and energy alongside his fellow firefighters.

鈥淎t all hours of the day, Meyer has responded to emergencies,鈥� said his partner, Jules LeRoux. 鈥淒espite the volunteer nature of the position, being a firefighter is a 24/7 on-call job that involves more than just fighting fires.鈥�

Meyer has been involved with assisting with car crashes, medical aid, alarms, falls and injuries. This is in addition to the arduous work of extinguishing fires, helping with post-fire hot spots, protecting homes in the path of fires and providing water to animals in the area. He was recently promoted to Lieutenant, after a long wildfire season in and around the Okanagan in 2023.

鈥淭he mental, physical, and emotional strength required to be a first responder is truly commendable and not everyone can handle such challenges,鈥� added LeRoux. 鈥淗is continuous efforts to go above and beyond serving in the community highlight his positive impact and commitment to making a distance.鈥�

The CLA鈥檚 are a revived program started by the Vernon Morning Star, to recognize leaders in and around the community that have been working behind the scenes.

There were a number of submissions for 12 specific categories, which range from mentorship, coaching, volunteering and leadership.

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