911 operator Michelle Germain
More than a week after 911 dispatcher Michelle Germain’s home was reduced to charred ruins, the 28-year-old acknowledges she still has a “hard time” looking at the picture of her brother-in-law Jamie kneeling on the driveway, fire hose pointing to where she used to live.
“That picture symbolizes everything we stand for, as families and unified brotherhood. We’re all one team,” she told the Star. “We are all closer now than ever, characters through chaos.
“When we have a house again, we will frame that picture.”
While the Fort McMurray fire may have led to the destruction of her home, along with many others, it also brought a community and its emergency responders together, a possible silver lining in a veil of dust and ash.
“This is still our home and the Fort McMurray Fire Department is our family,” she said.
She first learned of her home’s demise — as did her husband, Scott — through the city’s emergency radio system. Firefighters on the ground had radioed in to say the street they lived on, Blackburn Drive, “had lit up.” Within minutes, her cellphone rang. On the other end of the line was firefighter and close friend Rachelle Daniel, who said “she was so sorry” that her home for the past three years was engulfed in flames.
Michelle then communicated back and forth with Scott, an acting captain in the local fire department, who eventually was able to confirm the news.
“We had a cry quickly and said it is what it is and we still had a job to do,” she said.
Despite the fire wreaking havoc on the city, she explained, the city’s 911 network remained operational the entire time, even when dispatchers were forced to go mobile.
Germain also recalled the emotional conversation of telling her parents that her home was no longer standing.
“It took everyone by surprise, but we knew that was a reality,” she said.
“Just because we are in the fire department doesn’t mean our house was invincible.”
On Friday, the Germains drove to Scott’s hometown of Plamondon, Alta., to spend some of their first days off visiting Scott’s parents and twin brother, Jamie. Taking a few days off from work, she said, has allowed her to “think,” piece together what’s left and plan the next steps of her life.
“I was thinking about taking pictures of something and then I remembered, oh, I don’t have a camera anymore,” she said. Nevertheless, like many firefighters and their families the Star spoke with, the Germains aren’t planning to rebuild in anywhere but Fort McMurray.