Acting fire chief appointed

DIDSBURY - Deron Reimer, manager of protective services for the Town of Didsbury, has been confirmed as acting fire chief after council approved a recommendation from administration at the regular council meeting on Sept. 25.

The move took place after fire Chief Craig Martin stepped down on Sept. 24 following the resignation of at least eight Didsbury Fire Department (DFD) members and two separate audits into the department.

Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter said that council is fully confident in the ability of Reimer.

"With Deron appointed as interim fire chief, together with the respect he has from the department's firefighters, we have full confidence that the department will move forward with a positive and focused approach that will achieve goals and objectives that they set as a team," said Hunter.

In June the town hired Caliber Planning, an independent organization, to make recommendations following a number of complaints in 16 letters received by the town from firefighters.

As one of the steps the town took, Edelweiss Safety Solutions from Okotoks was hired to complete a safety audit. The results of the audit are expected to be brought forward at the Oct. 9 council meeting, after being reviewed by the fire department.

Hunter said the town remains confident that the fire department can adequately cover the area.

"The department remains capable of responding to calls within our area and will rely on mutual aid agreements with neighbouring communities as required," she said.

A press release from the town dated on Sept. 25 stated that administration has been tasked by council to move forward with a plan to strengthen the Didsbury Fire Department, ensuring that there are sufficient resources to meet the needs of the community.

The Town of Didsbury is currently advertising for the deputy fire chief position.

The gallery at the Sept. 25 regular council meeting was standing room only with about 35 residents in attendance.

Cindy Tippe, who co-organized a community forum at Knox United Church on Sept. 24, told the Gazette that Martin resigning doesn't really change anything in regards to the situation at the fire department.

"I think Craig has been the scapegoat for the town," said Tippe. "I wish him all the best. He's a good firefighter. I think there are still problems that need to be resolved."

Tippe said she was disappointed that galley members were not able to speak at the council meeting about the issue.

"They (councillors) weren't willing to listen to anything," she said. "We'll do a delegation for the next meeting. We'll be respectful of their process. We want to have a proper conversation about this."

Tippe said she would like to see improved communication between the town and the residents.

"It was a hostile environment last night (Sept. 25)," she said. "It was pretty obvious with the few questions we had with the gallery (question period) that they weren't going to hear us. So we decided we'll follow their process instead. We hope to have a proper and valid conversation next meeting, once we're on the agenda."