President's Trailblazer Award

This award recognizes an individual's commitment to the goals and objectives of FSWO and their contribution to the fire service and their community. The award recognizes a FSWO member who has proven to be an innovative leader who has blazed a trail for others to follow. The successful nominee has made outstanding contributions to women in the fire service, including:

• inspiration to others
• an excellent role model
• positively influences the actions and opinions of others
• encourages and supports colleagues
• shows initiative
• perseveres in the face of criticism or adversity
• has high ethical standards
• is willing to ‘go that extra mile’
• builds trust and is able to form partnerships to resolve issues
• maintains a positive outlook

How do I nominate someone for an award?
Please read through the suggestions below, and then fill out the nomination form.

Who is eligible for the awards?
Nominees must be members of FSWO. We are happy to check your nominee’s member status if you wish – just send our registrar an email at registrar@fswo.ca. Also, you are also invited to buy your nominee a membership along with the nomination in order to be considered for the award. It’s a meaningful gift for a fire service member who exemplifies our award criteria! Visit our membership page.

Who is eligible to submit a nomination?
Anyone can submit a nomination for an FSWO award. You do not need to be a FSWO member or a member of the fire service to submit a nomination.

Can I submit a nomination for the same person for more than one award?
Consider the award criteria carefully. You may nominate the same person/organization in more than one category if it suits. You must submit a separate nomination form for each award category.

Do I require the support of the nominee’s fire department?
Please consider if the nominee’s fire chief and/or department would support or recognize the potential award winner. While this support is not required per se, FSWO publishes the name of the winners’ fire departments which is intended to shine a positive light on the department.

What makes a strong nomination?
Strong applications consider and celebrate the nominee’s fire service career and contributions from many points of view. If you have had a positive experience with the nominee, this is likely true of many of your colleagues. Consider asking them to add to your nomination letter. They may be able to speak to a different time in the nominee’s career, or to their expertise in a different division, or even to specific examples that demonstrate their suitability for the award. While a formal nomination letter from each supporter is not required, their name, position and strong words of support give FSWO a fuller picture of the many outstanding qualities of your candidate.

Successful applications usually contain a minimum of 500 words.

Do I need the support of the nominee or is it a secret?
Please consider if the nominee wishes to be in the spotlight. While most of us are somewhat uncomfortable with being singled out for praise, there are some cases where a nominee might decline this honour. Consider asking your nominee for their consent if you suspect there could be a concern with being publicly recognized.

What happens next after I submit my nomination?
Successful recipients of FSWO awards will be notified and invited to attend the awards presentation held in conjunction with the FSWO annual fall training symposium. Recipients of the FSWO awards will be contacted in advance of the symposium where they will be provided further details about the awards presentation and any subsequent materials needed (i.e. approved description and photos).

A profile of the winner may also be included in one or more of the following FSWO communications:
-Canadian Firefighter magazine
-FSWO enewsletter, website and social media
-FSWO press release

For more information or questions about submission criteria, the selection process or awards presentations, please contact our President at president@fswo.ca.