Orillia council has appointed Brent Thomas as fire chief. Thomas has served as acting fire chief since April 1, 2019. - City of Orillia photo
A familiar face has risen to the top rank at Orillia’s fire department.
Brent Thomas, who served as acting fire chief since April 2019 following the retirement of former fire chief Ralph Dominelli, has been appointed fire chief.
“When my family first moved to Orillia five years ago, we fell in love with the city and have established deep roots in the community,” Thomas said. “I am honoured to be appointed as fire chief of the Orillia Fire Department, and I look forward to continuing to lead our amazing team.”
Thomas joined Orillia’s fire department in 2014, serving as assistant fire chief responsible for training and overseeing the city’s emergency management program.
His 30 years in the fire service have included involvement in provincial fire service committees and training groups.
In his time as acting fire chief, Thomas provided dedicated service to the community and positive leadership, said Gayle Jackson, chief administrative officer.
“On behalf of city staff, I would like to congratulate Chief Thomas on his appointment and wish him all the best in the position moving forward,” Jackson added.
Mayor Steve Clarke echoed the sentiment.
“During his time as acting fire chief, Thomas demonstrated excellent leadership skills and a deep caring for the community,” he said.
Looking to the future, Thomas will have a number of issues on his plate, including the search for property on which to locate a future fire station to service-growing west Orillia.
“That is kind of what we are looking at now is, where’s the best location to try and plot something just so we don’t lose the opportunity to get the land with everything else that’s being sold over there,” he added.
The department is also preparing for coming upgrades to the 911 system, Thomas said.
“The 911 infrastructure now, currently, will be out of date and stale and no longer supported by 2023, so we need to upgrade,” he added.
Planned upgrades will incorporate the technology necessary for emergency communications centres to interact with smartphone features such as video calling, Thomas said.
Link to original article on simcoe.com: Securing land for 3rd station a priority, says new Orillia fire chief