Nunavik civil security director honoured for 25 years of service

As part of the national day recognizing firefighters Oct. 6, Quebec’s government honoured Craig Lingard, Kativik Regional Government’s civil security director, with an honorific citation for his work.

Lingard was recognized for 25 years in the role, but he has been involved in Nunavik’s emergency services for much longer than that.

Lingard has worked in that field since 1984, from roles at the hospital in Kuujjuaq to becoming the community’s fire chief, to his current position with KRG.

“Any personal recognition is very humbling for me,” he said in a phone interview from Montreal, where the award ceremony was hosted.

“I am very reluctant to take any personal acknowledgment because everything I do is because of the team.”

Lingard said he only succeeds because of his staff, and that it’s been an honour to work with so many amazing people.

He said when he first came to Nunavik he only had his basic first aid and CPR training.

The creation of his department at KRG came after a devastating avalanche that killed nine people in Kangiqsualujjuaq overnight on New Year’s 1999.

At the time, Lingard was the fire chief in Kuujjuaq. He was hired to be part of the first team to “drive the train” that would build capacity for every municipality in Nunavik to have their own fire department.

“We have agreements to have municipalities deliver fire department and municipal emergency preparedness to a standard that’s expected provincially, nationally and internationally,” he said.

Nunavik is unique in many ways when it comes to developing civil security plans that work for the region.

Many processes are transferable from one region to another, Lingard said, but “you have to take into account the resources, demographics and temperatures” of each hamlet.

“We always have to adapt it to a realistic approach,” he said.

One example is the way fire trucks respond to active fires in communities.

“The rule of thumb is to have a water truck follow the fire truck whenever we get a call,” Lingard said, because there are no fire hydrants or aqueducts in Nunavik’s hamlets.

“We have come a hell of a long way,” he said, adding when he first started some communities only had a trailer with a portable pump and tank as their fire truck.

Lingard said his proudest achievement came during the COVID-19 pandemic. His team worked closely with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services to help manage spread of the disease in the region.

“[We] got through reasonably well and unscathed, I think,” he said. “We managed to keep it out for as long as we did, I think that was a great moment.”

But civil security is all about being prepared for the next challenge, Lingard said, adding an invitation for local people to join in on his line of work.

“It is always a compromise to try and get the right thing when we need it,” either for adequate resources, proper equipment or proper funding, he said.

“If anybody is truly interested in being part of a solution for their community, they should consider getting involved in emergency services.”