Paul Buxton-Carr, an air attack officer with the ministry's Wildfire Management Branch, has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his outstanding community service.

The Honourable Gordon O'Connor, Minister of State, presented the medal to Buxton-Carr in a Sept. 8 ceremony in Ottawa. The award recognized the B.C. firefighter's many contributions and achievements as a volunteer with the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, supporting wildfire crews and their families right across the country.

Buxton-Carr has worked for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations' Wildfire Management Branch since 1989. He started out as a rapattack firefighter, rappelling from helicopters to fight fires in difficult terrain and remote areas. He is currently an air attack officer with the Provincial Air Tanker Centre in Kamloops.

Buxton-Carr has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation since 2004 and represents full-time, auxiliary, contract and emergency wildfire crews and pilots throughout Canada. The foundation offers assistance to families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty through fundraisers, public events, scholarship and bursary programs, and related activities.

Over the past eight years, Buxton-Carr increased awareness of the foundation's activities and he also helped raise money for a new memorial to Canada's fallen firefighters, which was unveiled in Ottawa on Sept. 9, 2012.

LINK TO PHOTO: http://flic.kr/p/d9tBTS

Quotes:

Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson -

"I can't emphasize enough how much the government appreciates the extraordinary commitment that our firefighting crews and staff have made to this province and to safeguarding our communities. They often work in challenging situations, but they always conduct themselves professionally and demonstrate remarkable courage."

"I am proud that one of our own, Paul Buxton-Carr, has been recognized with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work with the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation."

Quick Facts:

• In this Diamond Jubilee year, 51 emergency service personnel throughout Canada are being honoured with Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals.
• The Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation website lists 1,122 Canadian firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1848. They include members of municipal and rural fire departments, wildland firefighters, pilots and other emergency personnel.
• A total of 151 wildland firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty in Canada since 1848 (62 of them in B.C.).

Learn More:

For more information about the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, visit: http://cfff.ca/EN/index.html

For more information on the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal program, visit: http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14019&lan=eng

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Contact:

Brennan Clarke
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261