Four new fire chiefs have been appointed for the Ten Mile, West Fraser, Wildwood and 108 Mile Volunteer Fire Departments.
The Cariboo Regional District board has appointed Chiefs for the regional district’s 14 volunteer fire departments (VFD) and for the Central Cariboo Search and Rescue.
Each department holds an election for the position, and the CRD board appoints the chief for a three-year term.
Wildwood VFD held an election for fire chief, and the remaining chiefs were acclaimed.
“Welcome to our new Fire Chiefs – Chris Haddad at 108 Mile, Jim Sales at Ten Mile, Lance Wilkins at West Fraser, and Brad Elliott at Wildwood — and congratulations to all our returning chiefs,” CRD board chair Margo Wagner said in a press release. “Our board and staff are looking forward to working with our new slate of chiefs over the next three years.”
The CRD board appointed the fire chiefs from April 1, 2019, until March 31, 2022.
“I also want to say thank you to our outgoing chiefs for their dedication,” said Wagner. “Many of them have served their communities for many years and continue to volunteer as department members. The service and commitment of all our fire and search and rescue department members and chiefs is tremendous, and we cannot say thank you enough.”
The CRD’s fire chiefs are: Chris Haddad (108 Mile VFD), Stan McCarthy (150 Mile VFD), Jerrod Dreveski (Barlow Creek VFD), Jeff Lefebvre (Bouchie Lake VFD), Al Boyce (Deka Lake VFD), Aron Zablotny (Forest Grove VFD), Eric de Vries (Interlakes VFD), Steve Koning (Kersley VFD), Jon Grieve (Lone Butte VFD), Terry Murphy (Lac La Hache VFD), Jason Ward (Miocene VFD), Jim Sales (Ten Mile VFD), Lance Wilkins (West Fraser VFD), Brad Elliott (Wildwood VFD) and Rick White (Central Cariboo Search and Rescue).
The CRD has also welcomed Kathy Ferguson as its new Regional Fire Services Supervisor last month. Ferguson, who is a volunteer firefighter in Williams Lake, will be working closely with all the CRD’s fire and search and rescue departments to support their administrative, financial and training needs.
The CRD’s Protective Services department provides a variety of services throughout the Cariboo Chilcotin, including 9-1-1, emergency planning, search and rescue, highway rescue and structural fire protection.
The Cariboo Regional District has established mutual aid agreements between fire departments, which encourages a co-operative approach to maximizing the level of service provided. The agreements allow equipment and manpower from departments to assist neighbouring fire departments in the case of large fires or concurrent incidents.
Mutual aid agreements are also in place with the three municipal fire departments in this region: the District of 100 Mile House, the City of Williams Lake, and the City of Quesnel, as well as with several independent and First Nations fire departments in the area.
For more information about the CRD’s VFDs or information about joining these groups of dedicated volunteers, visit cariboord.ca/firedepartments.
READ MORE: Bouchie Lake firefighters honoured
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