Brian Freney video – (with transcript)

I joined the Calgary Fire Department Honour Guard because I was one of the founding members. After Lloyd Dutnall died in September 1970, his funeral… we attended the funeral and the guys didn’t know whether to turn left or right, or come to attention, and Dennis and I. Dennis McIvor and I discussed the situation on our way back to number 13 station, and we thought it would be good to have a Honour Guard for the Fire Department. We thought about it, we talked about it, and finally we sent a letter off to the Chief of the day, to put forward our proposal. The Chief forwarded the letter to Captain Al Sanofsky, and he basically said ‘not in my lifetime will there be an Honour Guard on the Fire Department’. Well, it was only a few months after that that the Fire Chief’s convention was announced for Calgary, and the Chief went to Captain Sanofsky and said there will be an Honour Guard, and thus was born the Calgary Fire Department Honour Guard. It’s been going relatively strongly ever since, we had some weak moments when we didn’t have too many members, but fortitude and desire have prevailed, and we’re at the point where we’re at today with a, just a fantastic Guard. It goes back to history being… we were probably the first Fire Department Honour Guard in the country, and it’s really nice to see them going as strong as they are today.

We always seemed to have a core of about 6 people, and there was just enough activity going on with Ladies’ Night, and civic functions, and funerals, that we managed to keep 6 to 8 of us fairly well involved with the Honour Guard. It got a little discouraging at times. We were called paid pallbearers, we were given a bad time about asking for time off to practice, and do these functions, and one thing or another. But like I say, the perseverance of the members was there, and we didn’t let things like that bother us, so it’s growing in to quite a well recognised unit of the Fire Department.

Can you tell me about a particular event that was very memorable to you personally?

The most outstanding one would be the Morley James funeral. Morley was killed in a fire, and it was the first official fire death that the Honour Guard was involved in. I was no longer in the Honour Guard at the time, I’d moved over and had joined Local 255, but to see that Guard out in front of that pumper, carrying the casket, going down Glenmore Trail, was just a really inspiring and emotional event. The guys just looked super sharp, and it brought the Fire Department to a whole different level for the day. It was just so professional to see it done the way it was done. And consequently, there were other departments have formed their own Honour Guards since that. But like I said before, I’m sure we were the first Fire Department Honour Guard in Canada.

Speaking of the history, of the Fire Department Honour Guard, I believe it was 1978, there was a couple of firefighters killed in Edmonton. We decided to go up and represent the Calgary Fire Department as an Honour Guard. The Chief of the day said there’s no way you can take department vehicles outside of the city. Well, guess what? We did. There was two vans of us, and there was approximately 12 to 14 of us went to Edmonton for the firefighter’s funeral up there. We showed up at the Fire Hall, their number 1 Fire Hall, took our gear. Went inside and changed. Came outside and formed up outside in formation, and everybody looked at us like they’d never seen anything like it before. In fact, the Edmonton Fire Department turned round and said ‘we’re following these guys’! So, it was a very proud moment as well for our Honour Guard to do something outside the City, and be recognised for it.

Tell me about that time, it was after the, there was like a bunch of pipers from all around the world. Tell me that story.

That was the Second Chief’s Convention, was held downtown, and we had done our opening ceremonies for the Chief’s Convention, that would have been 1980 or 1981. At the same time, there was a competition going on in Calgary of Pipes and Drums units from all around the world. They were from England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand, and United States. After our ceremonies, a bunch of us went down to Mewata Armouries to have a few drinks. Well of course, all of these pipes and drums are just doing their own thing down there. We spent a lot of time down there, enjoying the music, and the competition between the groups, and for some reason I decided we should go back down to the convention centre, see how the Chief’s Convention was going. So, there was a couple of pipers, and a drummer, myself, we went back down to the convention. We walked in, and it was like dead, like a funeral, it was absolutely… nobody was dancing or anything. It was just really, really quiet. Well, the pipers and the drummer went through there, and everybody got up and started clapping, and hooting, and hollering. It really brought the place alive. And the next day, the girl that had been running the convention, Darlene, she come up to me and she says ‘Brian, I don’t know what gave you that idea, but it sure made a world of difference.’. So, it was a fun thing to do, but it was a spur of the moment thing. You know, firefighters, that’s what we do; silly things at the right time.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

(24:34) Well, I’d just like to add- thank you for this opportunity to explain the history, for us to explain the history of the Honour Guard, and as I said before I would really like to thank the members that have continued the history and kept the Honour Guard going. It’s at a far higher standard than what we were at, and it’s great to be part of that legacy.