The fire chief in the Kennebecasis Valley is moving on to a new post in Nova Scotia early next year.
Bill Ireland, who hails from Burk’s Falls, Ontario, joined the Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department in 2009 and was promoted to chief in 2010.
Like so many others, Ireland said the pandemic caused him to reflect and prioritize both personally and professionally.
“My wife is from Nova Scotia and that is where I am heading. Professionally, I think if you get comfortable where you are and I certainly am comfortable where I am right now, you stop progressing and growing. It was time for a new challenge,” Ireland said.
Ireland said he was fortunate to take the job when he did, adding some of his peers teased him about how easy it is to manage growth.
“We’ve gone through considerable growth and change during my time here, I was fortunate to be part of that. We’ve done a lot of great things as an organization and it’s a tribute to all the people who were here for making that turn out so well,” Ireland said.
He thinks the sustainability of fire service going forward will be dependent on “neighbours helping neighbours” much as it has always done.
“Frankly, we exist to deal with emergency situations that are unpredictable and we can’t schedule them. Fortunately, through proactive and preventative measures they don’t happen with great frequency,” Ireland said.
He said in his view, the sharing of resources is the future of the fire service.
February 4th will be Ireland’s last day and when Deputy Chief Dan McCoy will take over as acting chief until a new chief is hired. The search for a new chief has already started.
Ireland is not able to say just yet where he is going as his new employer has not yet made the announcement.
Media Release – Chief Bill Ireland leaving KVFD. https://t.co/74gMJaao01 pic.twitter.com/LuzGEfnddh
— Rothesay (@Rothesay_NB) December 9, 2021
