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Saint John Firefighter, Lieutenant Doug Trentowsk….In 1984 Doug was named the first Aquatic Director of the brand new Canada Games Aquatic Center. Lifeguarding from an early age, Doug is a 40 year member of the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLS) and has instructed countless guards. For 20 years he was also instrumental developing lifesaving programs in the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Doug joined the SJFD in 1991 following in the footsteps of his Dad and in 1995 his skills were put to the test. When a woman lost control of her car and plunged into a cold and dark Courtney Bay, Doug and firefighters Peter Woodhouse (now Captain), Peter Alexander (now Lieutenant), Lt. Mike Shelley (Ret. ) and City Police Sgt. Jim Flemming (Ret.) entered the water without hesitation and dove to find the unconscious driver trapped in the submerged car. Brought to shore by the group she was successfully resuscitated by EMS and made a complete recovery. Nominated as a member of the RLS, Doug was awarded the Mountbatten commendation at Buckingham Palace followed by a reception with Queen Elizabeth. A year later, while off duty, Doug assisted in the rescue of a young girl who was swept into the bay by a tidal surge at Saint’s Rest beach. Again nominated by the RLS, the Queen awarded him the prestigious Mountbatten medal making him the only person in its 70 year history to be nominated twice. A prolific and tireless volunteer, Trentowsky has led the Saint John Firefighters to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for MD, the Salvation Army, the Royal Canadian Legion and so much more. In 2016 he was again recognized by the Queen for his extensive volunteer work and humanitarian efforts.
In spite of his resume Doug refers to his Wife Brenda, Daughter Paige and Son Ryan as his greatest accomplishment…..”The ones that support me in every endeavour” he says.
Now a Company Officer on LT1 in Platoon 4, we are proud of Doug and what he has done for the SJFD, Local 771 and the citizens of Saint John. After all, there aren’t many of us that have wine time with the Queen on a semi-regular basis. 🙂
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