LCol Morinville joined the Canadian Forces in November 1980 as a Firefighter (MOC 651). Upon completion of language training and a basic firefighter course, he was posted to CFB Shearwater. During this tour he was accelerated promoted by one year to Cpl, completed his Firefighter Journeyman course, and his Junior Leadership Course.
In October 1985, LCol Morinville was posted to HMCS IROQUOIS and subsequently promoted to MCpl in December 1985, where he participated in many exercises, including a six month NATO tour. While serving onboard HMCS IROQUOIS, he complimented his high school education with correspondence classes in order to apply to the University Training Program for Non-Commissioned Members and the University of Maryland College Park, USA in the Fire Protection Engineering program.
In February 1988 he was accepted into the program and was appointed Officer Cadet in May 1988 and was sent on the Basic Officer Training Course in Chilliwack, BC. In August 1988, he was posted to the USA to pursue his Engineering degree. Upon graduation in August 1992, LCol Morinville was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and immediately promoted to Lieutenant whereupon he attended CFSME in Chilliwack, BC until April 1993. At that time he was posted to Ottawa to work in the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal’s Office.
In 1995 LCol Morinville upon his promotion to Captain, assumed the position of 3e Ere Bagotville Fire Chief. During his tour in Bagotville, he participated in the emergency responses for both the Saguenay flood and the Quebec ice storm. In March 1998 LCol Morinville was appointed 1 Canadian Air Division Fire Marshal until the summer of 2001, at which time he returned to the CFFM’s office as the head of Fire Protection Engineering.
In January 2002 he was promoted to Major. In October 2004, LCol Morinville was tasked as a technical advisor for the BOI of HMCS CHICOUTIMI. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, the NATO Crash Fire Rescue Panel, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners, and a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Technical Committee.
LCol Morinville assumed the duties of the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal in June 2005 and has done an outstanding job in raising the awareness, visibility, and credibility of the DND/CF Fire Service during his tenure. But all things good do come to an end, and Gaétan has decided that after 28 years of service it is time to move on. He has accepted a position with the National Research Council in Ottawa as a Research Officer in the Canadian Codes Centre of the Institute for Research in Construction. Gaétan is one of a very few Fire Protection Engineers in Canada and his knowledge and charisma will certainly be missed by all of us. Our loss is NRC’s gain and we look forward to working with him and we wish him all success in his new endeavour.