Longest-serving FMAA Employee Shares Passion for Helping Others
Fort McMurray Airport Authority’s Maintenance Craftsperson Paul Warford is celebrating 16 years at YMM, making him the longest-serving employee for FMAA.
Originally from King’s Point, Newfoundland, Paul joined the Airport Authority after spending decades working as an underground miner of gold and diamonds in the Northwest Territories and Northern Ontario.
Paul has seen many changes in his time at FMAA, with a new terminal location and a change in management. He said, throughout the years, one thing remains the same – his passion for helping people on their travel journeys.
He explains how helping people at the airport is one of the things that makes it most rewarding.
“I really enjoy helping passengers,” he said. “The greatest feeling is helping a passenger that appears overwhelmed; maybe that is someone with a lot of bags or a mother with multiple children. Helping someone without reward makes me enjoy calling YMM my workplace.”
Paul also said he feels “respected and valued as a team member,” reflecting on the emotional support he received from colleagues after his cancer diagnosis in 2017.
“I was off work for nine months for chemotherapy treatment, and I had teammates like Samantha (Bennett) and Sylvie (Lemieux-Comtois) keep me in good spirits,” he said. “Overall, the work I’m doing here is not just a job. It’s a career. I care about the staff, about the building. It’s a place I care a lot about.”
Photo: Paul Warford stands in the YMM Courtyard in June 2023. Paul is the Fort McMurray Airport Authority’s longest serving employee.