Feature Article September 19, 2001
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Fire chief issue heats up North Frontenac council meetingby Will CybulskiThere was standing room only on Monday September 10, when well over 50 people filled the Barrie Township Hall for North Frontenac Councils regular meeting.
A presentation by Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department Captain Sheila Perry, and the ensuing exchange with Mayor Stan Johnston and council members, didnt resolve anything, but a special meeting was called. The Joint Management Fire Board from North Frontenac and Addington Highlands municipalities, and fire department representatives, will meet Tuesday, September 18, at 7:00 p.m. at the hall in Cloyne in an attempt to put the disagreement to rest. The Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department has been without an official chief since the end of June past, when Pete McLachlin resigned, citing internal issues and problems with [Addington Highlands] council. The position of chief has now become an extremely hot issue, based on the results of an alleged verbal agreement between both municipalities at a joint board meeting held on August 9. Following that meeting, North Frontenac Council went ahead on August 27 and passed a bylaw naming Ken Kent as chief of the department. Mr. Kent has been serving in the position of Administrating Director of Emergency Services in North Frontenac. In the interim, fire department representatives made a pitch to Addington Highlands Council to stay with a local chief. Between the joint board meeting on August 9 and August 30, it appears that Addington Highlands Municipality had a change of heart and withdrew its support of the verbal agreement. On the latter date, Addington Highlands notified North Frontenac that its council intended, by bylaw, to appoint Casey Cuddy (a fire department member) to the position of Interim Chief, with the AH bylaw passage scheduled for September 4. Addington Highlands also requested from North Frontenac a related complementary bylaw; however, by this time, North Frontenac already had the Kent appointment in place through its August 27 bylaw. My information indicates that, at a special meeting of the Joint Management Fire Board held on June 21, concerns were raised by a representative of the Ontario Fire Marshalls Office as to whether or not the department was meeting current provincial expectations of municipal fire services, much less the provision of new services. At that meeting, the OFMO official reportedly used the smoke alarm program as an example, stating that it was probably marginal in North Frontenac but compliance is not being met in Addington Highlands. In response to a query about who was responsible for fire prevention in Ward 1 (Barrie), that same official stated that the fire chief for Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department was responsible to North Frontenac Council through the board, and North Frontenac Council in turn was responsible to see that it was done. The rank-and-file members of the fire department are adamant that a chief be appointed from within their own unit, rather than someone they consider to be an absentee leader. Captain Perry put forth some pointed questions to Council, including asking if Council intended to split the department, and why an outside chief was hired. In defence of North Frontenacs actions, Mayor Johnston tried to assure those present that bringing aboard Mr. Kent was a joint decision between the two municipalities, but Addington Highlands had then backed out with short notice. The mayor alluded to responsibilities that had been downloaded on municipalities, and the liabilities that came with ensuring that guidelines, as set out by the Ontario Fire Marshalls Office, were met. Mayor Johnston stated that it was never Councils intention to cause any problems for the fire department, nor to interfere with the chief or officers, but someone had to be put into place to ensure that required paperwork was done. There appears to be a differing of opinion in this regard, as Captain Perry advised me in a later conversation that the departments paperwork was up to snuff. On behalf of Council, the mayor stated a number of times that the matter should be taken back to the joint board, and if the departments concerns were not addressed there, that the issue should be brought back to a later meeting. On the subject of why a local chief was not appointed, Mayor Johnston responded that there had been no such applicants when the position was advertised. To this, Captain Perry advised the mayor that, at the time of advertisement, K/BFD still had a chief in place (McLachlin), so the department saw no need to run a candidate from the unit. In her presentation, Mrs. Perry indicated that the department has developed a proposal that outlines how the unit can and should be run from within. That plan will likely form a good portion of the Sept. 18 agenda, which will be an open meeting. As a note of interest, Addington Highlands bylaw appointing the interim chief did not get passed on September 4; instead, it was tabled to councils next meeting on September 17.