Firefighter, coach, and motivational speaker
“From the hottest fire comes the strongest steel" is an apt way to describe the struggles and triumphs of Kingston Fire and Rescue captain Michael Laughlin.
Raised just north of Kingston, Laughlin, 44, has gone through some of life’s toughest challenges.
In 2016, Laughlin was involved a life-altering motorcycle accident in which he lost his right leg.
“A deer came out of the ditch and ran into me. I had a speed bobble, ultimately crashed, and my leg was torn off at the knee,” he says. “I broke my neck in two spots and broke my back in three spots.”
Laughlin was in a coma for several days. Initially, doctors were able to re-attach his leg but the limb wasn’t viable. The decision was made to amputate Laughlin’s right leg above the knee.
“I thought I wrecked my life. I thought I was going to lose my job,” says Laughlin. “You can’t be a firefighter with one leg.”
Laughlin also became hooked on painkillers after his accident but overcame the addiction.
“As time went on, I got in shape, I got this [prosthetic] leg and started realizing I can do whatever I want to do.”
Laughlin met with Kingston Fire and Rescue Chief Shawn Armstrong and asked him what he had to do to get his job back.
First, he was given a desk job. But to return to active duty, he’d have to re-take the firefighter’s fitness test, a physically demanding test including carrying heavy equipment, working with a fire hose, and performing rescue techniques.
“So, I got myself in shape,” says Laughlin. “I practised all the drills I had to do with the guys on my crews and on other crews. Everyone was very helpful. Low and behold, I passed with flying colours and became the first ever in Canada to be an above-the-knee amputee firefighter in Canada.”
After nine years Laughlin still holds that rare distinction.
It was about having the determination and will to succeed, he says.
That’s the way it is on an everyday basis. Not every day is going to be easy, but you find a way to do it. You build mental toughness over time. And now it’s like nothing is going to stop me.
“I do have bad days when I get frustrated but I only get frustrated for a few minutes and then I figure it out.”
While rehabilitating at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital, Laughlin also met his future wife, Angela, a nurse at the hospital.
Laughlin grew up with hockey in the winter, rugby in the spring, fastball in the summer, and football in the fall.
His number one sport, though, was hockey. In 1999, Laughlin was drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs. The 13th-round selection wasn’t able to make the Frontenacs, so he played four seasons for the Kingston Voyageurs in junior A. He was team captain in his last season, the same year he joined Kingston Fire and Rescue as a volunteer firefighter. Three years later he was made full-time.
“I wasn’t always the most talented player,” he says, “but I always worked hard and was a team player.
“I was lucky to be on a lot of championship teams and be captain of some of those teams and be looked at as a leader.” Laughlin said. “People think you have to be the best player to be the captain. But the captain is the guy who’s there for his teammates, picking them up when they’re down, when they’re losing, and still being positive.”
Prior to his accident Laughlin played senior hockey with the Kingston Aces and fastball in the Loughborough League. He also taught skills at Fineline Hockey, positively influencing hundreds of local young hockey players.
Post-accident, Laughlin has continued to coach sports. In 2017, he coached AAA hockey. This past summer, he coached his son’s T-Ball team.
Laughlin has three different prosthetic legs: one for everyday use and fire-fighting duties, another for weightlifting, skiing, and snowboarding, and a blade for running. He also has a hockey skate blade that attaches to a prosthetic leg so he can run practices.
These days, Laughlin is also a motivational speaker with Untapped 60. He also runs Limb Loss Fitness for amputees. “These are all things I can speak on and hopefully help other people out.
My philosophy is if you work hard enough and you want it bad enough, you can do whatever you want to do and make those teams you want to make.
