There will be a new man in charge at the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department, as current Fire Chief Ric Raynor has announced his retirement. Quesnel City Council has appointed current Deputy-Chief Sylvain Gauthier to take over effective Jan. 1, 2011.
“On behalf of City Council I thank Chief Raynor for his many years of dedicated service to our community,” said Mayor Mary Sjostrom. “Under Ric’s leadership, the staff, associates and volunteers have provided an exceptional service for our community.
“I also offer sincere congratulations to Deputy-Chief Gauthier,” added Sjostrom. “Since coming to Quesnel, Sly has become a part of Quesnel. I know he’s built a solid rapport with our outstanding team at the fire department. Council looks forward to working with him.”
“I’m excited about the challenge,” explained Gauthier. “I’m looking forward to taking the department into the next century of service. The volunteers we have are a wonderful group of people. They are professionals on the fire ground and there is no better group to work with. They’ve proven it time and time again.”
Gauthier spent 28 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a firefighter prior to moving to Quesnel. He has served all over the country, from Halifax to Victoria to a post that was just 400 kilometres away from the North Pole. He moved through the ranks to Master Warrant Officer, the equivalent of deputy fire chief.
Raynor retires after more than 35 years of service. He started as a volunteer in Squamish in 1975, before moving on to roles as Fire Chief in Sooke and Chief and Director of Emergency Services here in Quesnel.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to work with such a dedicated group of volunteers and to have been Quesnel’s second-longest-serving chief,” said Raynor. “I have been one of the fortunate few who found a job I truly love, working with a group of people in all the North Cariboo Fire Departments who I feel privileged to call my peers. There is no better calling than being a volunteer firefighter.”
Raynor added that he intends to remain on as a volunteer firefighter, saying “I started my fire service career as a volunteer and that is how I wish to end it.”
The Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department is funded by the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District. It provides a range of emergency protective services to the citizens of Quesnel as well as the Red Bluff neighbourhood and the rural areas through mutual aid agreements with other North Cariboo fire departments. It is also involved with public education programs, fundraising and emergency management. Visit the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department online at http://www.quesnelfire.ca/
No comments:
Post a Comment