"Chuckegg Creek wildfire kicked my butt...So I decided that I'd go back and kick it's butt."

Julien Bergeron has built a career around having the courage to run towards things like burning buildings, motor vehicle accidents and wildfires. These days, Julien's running for a cause with Northern Trek, an annual fundraiser for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation (CFFF) spanning around 200 kilometres through northern Albertan communities.

Julien, Deputy Fire Chief for Northern Sunrise County, says the urge to help is something that's deeply rooted. “It's something that I got from my parents and my family. They've always been generous, with their time or whatever they could, to give back to the community.”

Growing up in the Northern Alberta community of St. Isidore, Julien’s desire to help translated in a keen interest in emergency services. His curiosity piqued each time he heard sirens and saw an ambulance, police car or fire truck racing by. In 2006, Julien made his childhood dreams a reality by volunteering to help fight a large outdoor fire in the area. “I've been hooked ever since,” he says.

Julien trained to become a professionally accredited firefighter and in 2013, he earned the title Fire Prevention Officer with the county. In his current role as Deputy Fire Chief, Julien leads fire prevention programs and training initiatives, but he also provides leadership in other ways. “I try to lead by example by keeping myself healthy. Then, I encourage my members to do the same,” he says.

In 2017, Julien participated in an online challenge to run 1,000 miles over the course of a year. The challenge's $20 registration cost was donated to charity. That got Julien thinking—why not plan a run through northern Alberta communities to raise funds for a cause close to him and his comrades? “I had an idea and ran with it—pun intended,” he says. “I wasn't sure how it was going to be received by the regions, but they just devoured it.”

And that's how Northern Trek for CFFF was born. Over the past three years, Julien has run over 550 kilometres escorted by fire departments and supported by local businesses and community members. To date, he's raised around $45,000 for CFFF. Last year, he became a CFFF ambassador. He says the role of the foundation “is to honour those members that made the ultimate sacrifice. And along with that, to make sure that they're remembered and that there's support for those left behind.”