Sask. Indigenous firefighter receives national leadership award – paNOW

Apr 22, 2026

A woman from Muskoday First Nation who is approaching her 27th year as a firefighter, has received national recognition for her leadership and dedication to strengthening wildfire resilience across Canada.

Michelle Vandevord travelled to Victoria, B.C. last week and was one of three recipients of the Co-operators Lynn Orstad Award, which is presented annually at the Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit. Vandevoord said she’s always strived to be a good role model for her three daughters.

“I wanted to show my daughters that as a girl you can do anything you want to do. It’s not just a male field and there’s a lot of roles,” she said.