I was born in Amherst, but grew up in Halifax. I moved to Truro for employment, married a “Truro girl” and have remained. I am married to Sheila and we have been together for twenty-four years. We have a daughter, Lauren whom we are very proud. She is a gifted athlete and also excels in school. In recent years, Isla, our dog has joined our family.

I am employed as a social worker for the Province of Nova Scotia. Within the Fire Service, I am certified as a Level 2 Firefighter, as well as trained in vehicle extrication, Medical First Response, ice rescue, Hazardous Material Operations, swift water rescue, and Rapid Intervention Team, among other areas. In the last year, I have begun to take officer level training.

 I have always had an interest in all of the first responder professions. My first passion was emergency medicine and I had hoped to pursue a career as a paramedic. However, when I was in my early twenties, there were no opportunities to obtain paramedic training in the Atlantic Provinces and very few opportunities in Canada. As a result, I had to look at other options which led me to social work. After I moved to Truro, married, and settled in my career,  I still wanted to be a first responder. This led me to  the Truro Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Family life keeps me busy. In the winter and spring, we are kept busy travelling with our daughter to competitions. We also enjoy travelling, seeing new places and learning about all the different cultures that make up our world.

 I have learned  over the years that the Fire Service is a huge extended family. We share pride in  our successes, support and help each other when we have difficulties, and mourn when a brother or sister firefighter dies. I love the comradery that we share.

If you have an interest in the fire service, give it a try, even if the job seems frightening. When I first joined, I told my Deputy Chief that I was scared of fire and heights. He assured me that there are many tasks in the Fire Service that I could do that would not involve fire or heights. Eighteen years later, I am still  here.  I have fought fires, gone into burning buildings, and when necessary, I climb ladders.

Stephen Boyd