KITCHENER - The Canadian Forces Liaison Council (CFLC) honoured the City of Kitchener with an award in Toronto Friday night, recognizing the support the city showed two of its firefighters -- chief fire prevention officer Tom Ruggle and fire prevention officer Jessica Umlandt -- in their recent roles as reservists for the Canadian military in separate tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Ruggle wrote a letter nominating the city through the CFLC awards and recognition program, and specifically highlighted Fire Chief Tim Beckett for his tremendous support of Ruggle's role as a captain with The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) of Canada's Reserve Force.

''The city -- Chief Tim Beckett in particular -- was very flexible, given the uncertainty that existed around when our missions would start and when they would finish -- right up until the last minute,'' Ruggle explained. ''In Jessica's case -- she didn't even have an end date when she left on her tour. But the city took a go-with-the-flow attitude and showed us nothing but tremendous support before we left and after we returned.''

As a reservist, Ruggle augmented Quebec's 5 Brigade from July 2007 to March 2008. He served as a liaison officer with the Canadian headquarters in Kandahar. Umlandt, who augmented Canada's 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment from July 2006 to February 2007, served in a combat role on the ground.

Ruggle said both he and Umlandt learned a lot during their tours, gaining skills he believes are now of great benefit to the city.

''We learned a great deal about relating to other organizations, which included the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Afghanistan government and allied armies,'' Ruggle explained. ''We were also exposed to a number of high-pace, fast-tempo situations, where you had to deal with problems quickly -- similar to what we do for the fire department. Situations like those complemented -- even enhanced our existing skills, and better prepared us for the demands we face in our roles here.''

He added, ''A lot of what we were doing overseas is the same kind of work we're doing here every day -- and that's building communities¿making sure they are safe and stable for people to live in. It's such an important role to play, and I applaud the city for its support of our work.''