Facilities named after two former firefighters

By Mark Pavilons

The Schomberg fire hall will pay tribute to two former members of King Fire and Emergency Services.
King council gave their stamp of approval on the plan to honor the memories of Bruce Jessop and Paul Jackson. Training rooms within the station will soon bear the names of these two remarkable men.
Bruce Jessop was a former fire chief out of Schomberg and the Bruce Jessop Training Centre will be a lasting reminder of his service. The Paul Jackson Training Room will pay tribute to the former training officer. An outstanding service award presented by KFES is also named after Jackson.
Jessop was a volunteer fire chief with the then Schomberg Fire Department in 1997. He was progressive in this small village fire department, and a true “visionary” who was full of passion when it came to his volunteer staff.
“Bruce always knew ‘it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog,'” said Fire Chief Jim Wall, borrowing a phrase from Mark Twain. “Chief Jessop was committed to going after and building a successful training facility at any cost for his Schomberg firefighters. The inspiration and idea was born when the construction of a two-storey training house got under way at the back of the Schomberg fire station.”
Wall pointed this was the very first training centre of its kind at the time in York Region.
The desire to carry on with advancing this training facility after Jessop retired was taken on by the late Paul Jackson, the first full time training officer. Jackson passed away in the line of duty in June of 2008.
Since 1997, there have been countless firefighters who have contributed directly to this facility's success, Wall pointed out.
“After all of these years, it is time to appropriately recognize these two individuals that facilitated the success of the Training Centre,” Wall wrote in his report. “The posthumous naming of the Training Centre and Training Room recognizes not only these individuals by name, it recognizes and values their contributions and what they brought to the forefront on a daily basis.
“Both of these men left a lasting impression on our communities, our fellow firefighters, and the fire service as a whole.”
The only costs to the Township would be the signage installed on the training compound fence and indoor signage. The cost is estimated at $1,000 and would be covered in the Fire and Emergency Services operating budget.
Councillor Bill Cober said this is a “wonderful tribute to amazing leaders in our community.”
Councillor David Boyd, who is also a firefighter, said he had the pleasure of working with both Jessop and Jackson, who were “excellent role models.” He noted among their finest traits were their dedication to the community they served, and to their colleagues.
Mayor Steve Pellegrini said this move is long overdue, and a fitting tribute.