The City of Stratford has appointed Neil Anderson as the new Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief, effective September 26, 2023.
Anderson has served as Stratford’s Deputy Fire Chief since March 2017 and, during that time, has also worked as the City’s Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator (CEMC). Anderson also has been sitting in as Acting Fire Chief since July 2023.
Before that, he served in the Canadian Forces for nearly 30 years starting in 1989; Anderson joked, “That will give away my age, I guess.” He worked in various fire service roles all across the country, including BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Anderson says his new role is an exciting one as this has been his passion for his whole life, and in order to work towards his goal, he had to start as a Canadian Forces engineering officer, “I always wanted to be a fire chief. And I knew you couldn't change anything at the level I was at; therefore, after my ten years of firefighting [for the Canadian Forces], I was commissioned to an engineering officer and the job of an airfield engineering officer,”
At that time, his job was to oversee and manage sustainability at the airfield, “My job was to create infrastructure at the airfield to make it sustainable, everything from electrical, plumbing, carpentry, as well as the airfield itself.”
Later, working as deputy fire chief in Stratford gave Anderson a look inside the Stratford Fire station and helped him understand ways he believes he could implement change for the better, “the only people who need us are the people in danger, so I want to be more accessible to people in the community.”
Anderson wants to allow the public to access what's going on at the fire station and engage with community members on a more personal basis, “I’d like to encourage [the firefighters] to go down to the waterfront, park the vehicle, have a coffee or an ice cream so families can walk around the vehicles and see it in person,” he continued, “I encourage them to go out and shop locally for groceries, I think that’s a great way to get them out there for the community to see.”
One aspect of this is that it’s important for the community to know and understand where their tax dollars are going, says Anderson, “Just like everything during COVID, the firefighter gear in the last two years has gone up over $1,000 just for the jacket and the pants. That doesn't include the helmets, the boots, the gloves and all the other gear needed.” He noted that this could increase costs upwards of $10,000 annually just to fit new firefighters or replace older equipment.
Things to look forward to with the Stratford Fire Department is their regular community involvement with local charities, and Anderson says he’d like to host an open house for the community in the new year as well, “I'm looking forward to hopefully having an open house in the New Year. We haven’t had one for years, since before COVID-19 in fact. I’d like to show the public what our capabilities are and some of our equipment; it's pretty cool!”
Anderson notes his excitement about the new position, “I'm excited about the new position, excited to get a new deputy to help me out and work alongside with myself and look forward to a vision of pride and ownership in the fire department,” he continued, “I want the firefighters to be more involved with the community and the community to appreciate all that we can do and what we have available for them.”
Look for Anderson and the other Stratford Fire Fighters throughout the community this month for National Fire Prevention Month!