Retirement for Former Wawota Resident
Major Dave Jane will retire from the CAF on 13 May 22 after a career of nearly 36 years. He joined the Naval Reserves as a Bosun in the famous naval city of Regina SK on his 17th birthday in 1986. In 1988 he transferred to the Regular Force as a Pilot, then following some hair-raising landings in early 1989 he followed the advice of his Flight Instructor and became a firefighter.
Upon completion of his QL3 course in 1989 he was posted to Cold Lake. While in Cold Lake he was a very active volunteer firefighter and a Big Brother in the Big Brother/Big Sister organization.
In 1994 he was posted as a “Plank Owner” to the newly built frigate HMCS Calgary, where he was a member of the commissioning crew and sailed for three years as a helicopter crash rescue and shipboard firefighter. During this posting he was on operations in the Persian Gulf and Adriatic Sea off the Former Yugoslavia as well as exercises throughout South America and the Pacific.
Following his tour with the RCN he was posted to CFB Greenwood where he was promoted to Master Corporal. While in Greenwood he was very active with the Wing Critical Incident Stress Response Team, providing assistance to his fellow first responders on the Wing following stressful emergencies.
In 2001 he was posted to the Canadian Forces Fire Academy to be a fire service instructor where he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was recommended for commissioning as a Construction Engineering (CE) Officer in 2003.
Following his CE Officer Course at CFB Gagetown in 2005 he was posted to CFB Trenton to the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit, where he served as a Special Operations Forces Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) specialist officer, providing counter-terrorism CBRN response to the Government of Canada and Canadian Armed Forces. During this posting he was on operations across Canada, in Eastern Europe and in Afghanistan.
In 2009 he assumed the role of Fire Chief of CFB Trenton. During this posting he finished his Bachelor of Applied Business: Emergency Service Management degree, oversaw the deployment of firefighters to Haiti for Op HESTIA and lived his dream job of Fire Chief for two years.
Following the promotion to his current rank in 2011 he was posted to Tyndall Air Force Base Florida for a three year exchange with the United States Air Force (USAF), where he was Chief of Contingency Training for the USAF Civil Engineers at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.
In 2014 he was posted to the newly stood up Real Property Operations Group HQ in Ottawa as the J1 where he spent nearly two years scrambling to learn the role of an Admin Officer.
In 2016, he was posted back to his fire service family and became the Operations Officer in the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal (CFFM) office where he will finish his career.
Highlights of his career are numerous, but doing an exchange with the flight deck firefighters on the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Independence in the Persian Gulf and circumnavigating the world while posted to HMCS Calgary in 1995 are near the top. He has been awarded the United States Meritorious Service Medal, Chief of Defense Staff Commendation and is appointed as an Officer of the Order of Military Merit.
Major Jane plans on remaining in the Ottawa area where he plans on watching his son 2Lt Aaron Jane carry on the Jane name in the RCAF and trying to convince his wife Melissa that retirement should come sooner rather than later. In retirement you will be able to find Dave down by the river where he and his youngest son Lachlan will be having an adventure in their campervan.
A Depart with Dignity will take place the 11 May @ 1500hrs at the Gatineau Golf and Country Club (160 Rue du Golf, Gatineau, QC J9J 0R1). Well wishes and anecdotes can be sent to Rick Dunning (Rick.Dunning@Forces.gc.ca).
