Hot on the Hunt
- kc dyer
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The case for a full-time Fire Chief
It has now been a full year that Lions Bay has been without a Fire Chief.
Former chief Barret Germscheid resigned his position as Chief in March, 2025. Germscheid is a homeowner in the Village and he continues to serve as a firefighter in the community.
The Village of Lions Bay recently released their 2025 Core Services Review assessing the current state of Lions Bay Fire Rescue (LBFR). (The report can be found HERE).
At the January 20 regular Council meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell summed up the recent history of LBFR, adding that not having a fire chief has reached a crisis point for the Village. Councillor Neville Abbott noted how the number of LBFR calls doubled in 2024 and continued to increase in 2025.
Blackwell made reference to the Core Services Review, and recommended the Village recruit a full-time fire chief, with a proposed total compensation cost of $152,000 (including benefits). Council was united in their support of LBFR, and there was unanimous agreement to undertake a search.
Job-listing site Civic Info BC currently shows a listing seeking a full-time Fire Chief for Lions Bay that was posted shortly after this meeting.
The 116-page Core Services Review makes a strong case for the position. The report offers a community and fire department profile, then takes a look at the current governance and regulatory framework and Village water supply and infrastructure resilience before turning its attention to the department itself. The report assesses operational readiness and response capacity, training, financial situation, emergency management, mutual aid and wildfire planning, and then assesses the strategic risks of nearly a dozen operational elements.
The report concludes with 18 recommendations to the Village, the first of which is to appoint a compensated Fire Chief.
The Watershed recently reached out to Germscheid and asked him to share his thoughts on the subject.
Germscheid offered a list of reasons he feels a Fire Chief is essential to the Village.
Regulation. Every incident has to be documented, every fire from small beach/back yard burning to large house fires, have to be reported to the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
Maintenance of WorkSafe standards including best practices when it comes to psychological/emotional injuries.
Annual commercial building inspections to maintain building and fire code standards.
Writing of a Five-Year Fire Master Plan.
Completion of a Community Hazard Assessment.
Fire Smart activities and public engagement.
Public education - school and youth group visits etc.
Grant writing for equipment that will save the community money.
Equipment maintenance, testing and replacement.
"I've just touched the surface of what is required to do the job of Fire Chief," Germscheid said, adding the importance of having a strong leader in place when working with Council, addressing LBFR membership and when faced with emergency situations.
"Can you think of any other department or company that has 25-30 employees, a very dynamic work place, constant staff replacement, high minimum training standards, legislative requirements, reports to a Council or Board and is responsible for the safety of a community that doesn't have a full-time career leader/head?"
The current listing is due to expire at the end of March. Blackwell says that he expects to begin the interview process in April.
The Watershed welcomes your thoughts.
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