‘I will never be an ex-firefighter, I will always be a retired firefighter’ says outgoing Coaldale chief

LETHBRIDGE – After four decades on the job, and 30 of those years as chief, Andy Van Rijn is joining his wife Raylene in a new chapter of their life. At the age of 63, the head of the Coaldale Fire department is retiring to focus on his wife and family, who have sacrificed so much for his career.

“One of the regrets is my family getting pushed to the sidelines,” said Van Rijn. “I missed weddings, I left my wife at a restaurant without paying for a meal because I got a call and I would leave her there. She’s a trooper. I have been married to her for 43 years and I always said she should be my deputy chief.”

For most of his life, Van Rijn would go to bed at night with his emergency services radio on his bedside table – ready for anything. Thankful to be leaving behind that stress, Van Rijn is taking decades of memories with him.

“I had a whole family here and at the end there was 35 people in the department,” added Van Rijn. “I know everyone of my guys and kids and what’s going on with their families.”

Van Rijn says the harder calls are ingrained in his memory – the fatalities that leave so many people suffering. But, there was one call in particular that Van Rijn says changed his life forever.

“One of the memorable ones was my brother’s fatality. I still get choked up,” Van Rijn explained with his eyes filled with tears. “It was a quiet day, around 2:30 p.m. We get a call for a crash south of Coaldale and possible fatality. From a half a mile away, I recognized my brother’s plumbing vehicle.”

Few people understand better than Van Rijn the sacrifices made by firefighters . In fact, another one of his brothers, Joe, who also served 20 years with the department, ultimately paid the price with his life. He died as a result of cancer brought on by exposure to chemicals released during burning. Still, Van Rijn loved his job and says he will never be an ex-firefighter – he will always be a retired firefighter and is looking forward to it.

“I don’t want to sit at home and I don’t want to join the senate at Tim Hortons.”