Former Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen saw more than his fair share of devastation over the course of the 2016 wildfires in northern Alberta.
But the extreme circumstances also brought out the best in people.
"People, when they are faced with the most horrendous situation they have ever seen in their lives, can really do wonderful things," said Allen, reached from his current home in Vancouver.
The fire chief, who has since retired, oversaw the successful evacuation of over 88,000 people from Fort McMurray in the spring of 2016. He became a household name in the midst of the wildfires and was named one of the 2016 newsmakers of the year by Maclean's magazine.
Allen will speak about his experiences as the keynote at this year's Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture this Saturday at the Prince George Civic Centre.
During the spring of 2016, Allen often referred to the wildfires in media statements as a sleeping "beast," warning during times of dormant winds that "it will wake up."
"There's a very fine line between alerting people and panicking them," he would later tell reporters.
Allen now says his projection of calm was not the result of a strategy.
"I don't think I thought about it a whole lot," he told The Citizen.
"There were obviously some fairly dark hours and stressful times there, but I knew it was important that whenever I got in front of a camera - or even whenever I had a conversation with any staff who were working up there - it was important for me to be not just calm, but positive about the outcome. I truly believed we would get everybody out in those early days."
After retiring and moving to Vancouver, Allen found himself a spectator to B.C.'s own wildfire season last year. This time, he knew these fires were not his beast to subdue.
"It was a bit of a weird feeling because I knew what they were going through but I had no desire to poke my nose in there. There's very qualified people here who know exactly what they're doing. It felt a bit weird not helping but I knew I shouldn't help," he said.
Allen said he plans to give attendees of the Bob Ewert Dinner a picture of what the evacuation looked like for ordinary residents of Fort McMurray.
"It's mainly a story about those 88,000 people and how they miraculously, in a matter of about 12 to 14 hours, managed to vacate the town with only one way in and out, and did it safely," he said.
But Allen also hopes to draw attention to mental health, an issue that has become increasingly important for first responders in Canada.
A report published last year in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry found that 44.5 per cent of first responders surveyed had developed one or more mental disorders. Thoughts of suicide have become frighteningly common amongst paramedics and emergency dispatchers.
Allen said he knows several firefighters in Alberta who have yet to return to work due since 2016.
He hopes that his presence in Prince George helps raise awareness of mental health challenges faced by first responders and others.
"We need to get to a place where we can say to our boss and our work colleagues 'I'm popping out, I'm going to go see my therapist.' And we don't have to hide that, we don't have to be embarrassed about it," he said.
The Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture takes place Saturday.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Dr. Bert Kelly Legacy Fund, which will provide bursaries for northern students studying healthcare-related fields. The fund is held by the Prince George Community Foundation. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ewertlecture.com or by calling 250-596-0020.
