17 May New Fire Chief at Special Areas
Some big changes at Special Areas Fire Services!
Special Areas Fire Chief Glen Durand is retiring from the Special Areas effective July 15 after more than forty years of service. Glen first began his career at Special Areas back in 1982 and moved into the Fire Chief role in 2006 with the retirement of Brian Krieser.
“Glen’s dedication to supporting local volunteer-based firefighting in the Special Areas has resulted in a transformation of our regional fire services. Glen’s impact on the Special Areas will continue to shape our fire and emergency services for years to come.”
Owen Francis, Director of Municipal Services & Emergency Management
Rob Palmer, Deputy Fire Chief since 2015, will formally move into the role of Special Areas Fire Chief on July 16th with Glen’s retirement. Currently, Rob is serving as Acting Fire Chief during this transition period. Rob is excited to be able to keep serving the public and to support local fire departments in delivering the best possible emergency and fire services.
“There is nothing more rewarding than watching new firefighters learn and grow into skilled members of their departments. They are the backbone of Special Areas fire services, and my role as Regional Fire Chief is to give them the support they need.”
Rob Palmer, Special Areas Deputy Fire Chief
Rob’s focus in this new role is making sure fire departments and firefighters have the tools and training they need to be successful to respond to ever-changing types of incidents. When asked what Rob has learned from Glen in the past seven years, Rob shared the most important lesson was to make sure you are supporting volunteer firefighters. “As Glen would say, without volunteers we would be in a world of hurt!”
For more information on Fire and Emergency Services in the Special Areas, please visit our information page.