Quesnel FD appoints new Safety Officer

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

The City has named Ron Richert as its new Fire Inspector/Safety Officer. Richert has been an active member of the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department since 1998, and holds the rank of Acting Lieutenant.

The Fire Inspector/Safety Officer's role is varied. Some of the many responsibilities include: conducting fire inspections of public and private buildings; developing safety program to ensure Workers Compensation Board compliance; coordinating the City's occupational health and safety program; and many other public safety initiatives, including fire safety education programs with the School District.

Richert has taken extensive training courses with the Justice Institute of British Columbia's Fire and Safety division as well as other training agencies. Some of these include the National Fire Protection Association Certified Level 1 Fire Inspector, Level 1 and 2 Fire Fighting Certificate, Fire and Life Safety Educator Certificate, Incident Safety Officer Certificate as well as his Level 3 First Aid Certificate.

"We're very fortunate to have a member of Ron's caliber available to take on this critical public safety role," said Fire Chief Sylvain Gauthier. "We had a number of qualified and outstanding applicants from within our department, which speaks to the dedication and extra lengths these members go to serve our community."

Richert, who begins work on July 3, replaces Mike Russell, who moved into the Deputy Chief position earlier this year.