CREMONA - In response to growing operational requirements, Mountain View County council has endorsed a proposal to have a salaried fire chief hired for the Cremona and District Emergency Services Department.
The move came by way of motion following an in-camera session at the recent, regularly-scheduled council meeting, held in the Town of Olds council chambers and online.
“This initiative comes in response to the current chief Kevin Miller’s impending departure later in 2024,” Mountain View County Reeve Angela Aalbers told the Albertan.
“Mountain View County has been incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated, experienced, and well-respected volunteer fire chief serving the department and its residents, but fully respects that the demands for the job and growing operational requirements require further attention that is best provided by a salaried position.”
After discussion at the July 10 council meeting, council members determined that hiring a salaried chief would “align with the operational standards of other rural municipalities, along with the majority of fire departments within the county and ensure continuity and effective leadership within the department,” she said.
Mountain View County is the managing partner of the Cremona and District Emergency Services Department, with the Village of Cremona contributing 20 per cent of operating costs in alignment with the fire services sub-agreement held between the partners, said Chris Atchison, the county's director of legislative services.
The hiring process for the chief position will be handled by county administration over the summer months, with the hope being to conclude recruitment in the third quarter of 2024, said reeve Aalbers.
Asked how much the new chief will be paid, Aalbers said, “That is part of the administrative review. A salary comparison will be done to our peer rural municipalities as well as with our urban partners, taking into account the roles and responsibilities that other fire chiefs are responsible for.
“We know job descriptions of fire chiefs vary across municipalities.”
According to its website, the Cremona and District Emergency Services Department covers a response area of about 1,200 square kilometres – 650 square kilometres in Mountain View County and 550 square kilometres in the Municipal District of Bighorn.
The Cremona and District Emergency Services Department is made up of the Cremona and Water Valley fire departments and includes two fire stations and eight apparatus.
