At the Monday evening District of Barriere regular council meeting of Aug. 13, Barriere firefighter Ashley Wohlgemuth was officially appointed as the new Fire Chief for the District of Barriere, which also makes her the first woman Fire Chief for the area.
Wohlgemuth joined the Department over 15 years ago, and says she was just a rookie firefighter when she stood with Barriere firefighters in front of the raging dragon that became known as the McLure Wildfire in 2003.
Since that time Wohlgemuth has been a dedicated member of the Department, serving in many different capacities along the way, and wearing officer stripes for much of that time. Wohlgemuth is highly respected by her peers, and is most often the “go to” person for young rookies learning the job.
On the previous Thursday, Aug. 9, at Fire Practice, members of the Barriere Fire Department (BFD), and Mayor Virginia Smith, had gathered at the fire hall to say goodbye to Fire Chief Kent Readman and wish him well as he moves on to a new position back east.
Members of the BFD said, “It is with much gratitude that we thank Chief Kent Readman for his time here, for his knowledge, his encouragement, team spirit, and support. We wish Kent and his family all the best as they move onto new adventures.”
Wohlgemuth says she really appreciated the opportunity to work with Chief Readman and is excited about taking on the job as Chief – continuing to serve her community and the Barriere Fire Department.
