Firefighters with decades of service under their belts are being recognized in Chatham tonight.
Brian Pepper recently retired after serving 45 years with the fire department. He spent 40 of those years as a Station Chief in Raleigh South before he retired last December.
"I would've kept going, but I just found that I didn't have the strength that I used to have and it was getting harder for me to go and be at the top of my game," says Pepper. "You've got a lot of pressure with lives at stake when you're calling the shots."
Pepper says now that better fire prevention measures are in place, the roles that firefighters play in the community appear to be shifting.
"There are more special needs requests for the fire department now," says Pepper. "In the old days you would just went out and put the fire out and went back on your tractor."
Firefighter James Sales will also be recognized for 45 years of service while George Parry, who's the Station Chief in Orford, will be honoured for 50 years of service.
Tonight's ceremony is taking place at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre on Richmond St. in Chatham.