If all goes well, Castlegar could have a second deputy fire chief by this August.
Castlegar fire chief, Gerry Rempel, said now that the city has approved the hiring in its last budget meeting, the search is on for a qualified person.
That person, said Rempel, needs to be a concise fit for Castlegar.
“It’s a matter of finding the right person. We want someone with a lot of experience and knowledge; but of course that knowledge comes with experience. This department is largely volunteer style and so we want someone with leadership and management skills as well as working in the public environment and working with volunteers,” he explained.
Although Castlegar already has one deputy fire chief, Duane Monsen, who has been with the department about five years, Rempel said the sheer volume of ever increasing workload has necessitated the addition to the department.
“We just can’t keep up with the building inspections and inspections to public buildings, commercial buildings, schools and halls. We’re a pretty busy department, actually.”
Now that the budget is approved, Rempel plans on placing ads for the position locally and with CivicInfo BC and the Fire Chiefs’ Association of BC.
The prospective deputy fire chief will be interviewed by Rempel, Monsen and another department head, said Rempel.
Although Rempel would like to see the position filled by August, he does recognize that the potential candidate might have other obligations, such as a family to move and a house to sell, before being free to step into the position.