Earlier this month, the Carstairs Fire Department said goodbye to Captain Josh Van Arnam as he retired to move to British Columbia with his family.
Also known as the former fire prevention officer the public relations officer, Van Arnam is very grateful for his time in Carstairs. He talked about why he was moving away from the town.
"Life changes, that was the biggest decision, my wife and I have an opportunity to move where it's slightly warmer among other opportunities in B.C."
Spending a total of 17 years in the area as a firefighter (one with Olds), he always wanted to serve his community.
"I grew up in the Carstairs area, it's was important for me to give back to such a great community."
He originally didn't plan on joining the fire department in his new home, but he changed his mind as he wanted to give back to his new community.
"We wish you all the best as you move and get started in a new “fire family” in BC," stated the Carstairs Fire Department social media post.
Originally, the goal of Van Arnam was to become a Calgary firefighter, but as that plan didn't work out, he stuck close to his hometown.
"I still felt that it was important, you know, for me to grow as an individual. And it was, it was a great experience, as far as learning new things and challenging myself."
He is also thankful for other firefighters that he got to work with over the years.
"The people that at Carstairs fire are phenomenal, they will take the shirt off their back just to give it to you if you needed it."
When talking about his fondest memories as a Carstirs firefighter, he talked about doing the stair climb in Calgary twice and curling.
"I've got a curling team that won the provincial firefighter curling championships. We ended up going to Nationals, which was held in PEI a couple of years ago. That was a cool experience to meet firefighters from across the country."
He thanked everybody who made his time at the Carstairs Fire Department so enjoyable and wished the best for the station.
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