Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Captain Dan Bird was named the winner of a state firefighter award on May 6. The ceremony had to be rescheduled three times — and yet, the award still came as a complete surprise to its recipient.
Courtney Morrison stands just outside Petersburg’s Assembly Chambers in her Sunday best. Her father, Dan Bird, has volunteered with the local fire department since 2005.
To honor him for his service, Bird’s family, along with his colleagues at the fire department, went to great lengths to keep him in the dark. All the subterfuge started about half a year ago. The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department folded Bird’s wife and daughters into the conspiracy around Thanksgiving.
They had planned the ceremony for early January, but then the state fire marshal’s flight to Petersburg was canceled due to a mechanical error. So, the department had to reschedule another two times. But when the big day finally came around, Morrison said the man of the hour had other plans.
“I showed up at the house and he said he was going fishing tomorrow,” said Morrison. “And so then I had to call Fire Chief Jim Stolpe and be like, ‘Hey, we have an emergency – my dad’s planning on going fishing.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, you need to sabotage that fishing!'”
Captain Bird did not go fishing that day. Instead, he was standing in the Assembly Chambers in uniform, alongside his fellow firefighters. Then Mark Brauneis, the Assistant State Fire Marshal, called him up to the stand. And the jig was up.
“It’s certainly one of the perks of my position to to recognize somebody with this caliber,” said Brauneis. “[Bird] exemplifies the core elements of the type of service oriented leadership. His outstanding commitment to the fire service in the state of Alaska deserves recognition.”
The Ken Akerley Fire Service Leadership Award recognizes firefighters who showcase extraordinary commitment to leading their fire department, and who have earned the trust and respect of their team.
Brauneis said Bird was chosen for the award for his efforts to pick up the slack left in the wake of heavy turnover. Petersburg’s Volunteer Fire Department has struggled to recruit and retain volunteers over the last several years. But that’s not just a Petersburg problem: Alaska’s firefighting force has halved over the last decade, and volunteering in general has declined all over the U.S. in the last 15 years.
But Brauneis said Bird helped make a dent in that problem — at least, locally — by revitalizing the department’s junior firefighter program, which went defunct after the pandemic. The program teaches local teens how to assist the department with basic ground operations, with the idea of keeping them on the force after they turn 18.
“Finally, [Bird] accomplished all of this while still volunteering for the department full-time,” said Brauneis. “[He demonstrated] the outstanding leadership qualities that led to his promotion as a fire officer and engendering the trust to act in even higher roles as necessary.”
As Brauneis spoke those words, Bird’s youngest daughter, Addison Bird, was in the crowd, searching her father’s face.
“I was nervous to see his reaction,” said Addison, laughing. “But it was kind of funny watching his face light up and be like, ‘Whoa, I was not expecting this!'”
After the ceremony, Dan Bird had little to say about why he won the award. But he shared his strong emotions in the aftermath — with his wife, Chryste Bird, at his side to help mop up the tears.
“It was totally unexpected,” said Bird. “I was totally in the dark! I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
Now, the state fire marshal’s office gets to put Bird to work. He’ll join a small cadre that will help choose the winner of next year’s Fire Service Leadership Award.
