On her days off, Shelley Morris loves spending time with her kids. She can never get enough of watching them play sports or music. It’s one of the reasons she’s so grateful that she chose firefighting as a career. “It gives me an incredible amount of time with my kids” she says, “And they love coming to the hall to see the big, red truck that Mom gets to drive”. Just like any proud mom, her face lights up when she talks about her kids. The funny thing is, it stays lit up when she talks about her job. A fifteen year veteran of the Surrey Fire Service, Shelley could have started yesterday with all of the enthusiasm and energy she still brings to the job.
Of course, speaking to Shelley, you get the impression she throws herself passionately into everything she does. A former member of Canada’s Track and Field Team, she is still a fierce competitor in the Police/Fire Games and avidly plays hockey and golf. Athletics have been a huge part of her life and, she hopes, they always will be. Her athletic drive is one of the reasons she feels she was successful in becoming a firefighter. “I don’t want to toot-my-own-horn” she says, “but my test scores were pretty good”. It isn’t bragging, coming from Shelley, just the truth.
Despite her athletic and academic successes, her father still cautioned her when she announced she was going to become a firefighter. At the time, women were still new to the service and he didn’t want to see her hurt if she didn’t make it. What Shelly didn’t know at the time was that she had firefighting in her blood, as her father had been a volunteer firefighter in his youth. Her success and happiness has made her parents incredibly happy. What parent wouldn’t be happy, seeing their child so happy in their chosen career and the life it has given them?

If you are interested in becoming a career firefighter, please contact Tim Dykeman of Surrey Fire Service Recruitment at 604-543-6739.