By Charlene Tebbutt

Fire Chief out in Carrot River, search begins for replacement

May 22, 2018 | 4:34 PM

The community of Carrot River is without a leader for its volunteer fire department after local officials announced the termination of the current fire chief.

The Town of Carrot River and the Rural Municipality of Moose Range announced Tuesday that Scott Debienne was relieved of his duties. Debienne has been with the Carrot River Fire and Rescue for 29 years and worked as chief since January 2014.

Kevin Trew, administrator for the Town of Carrot River, said the town and RM have decided to go in a different direction with the department. Dylan Borody has been appointed interim chief of the department and the town says the opening will be posted soon.

Two firefighters have since resigned their positions in the last couple days following news of Debienne’s termination, Trew confirmed.

Trew said Borody, who has been with the department since July 2014, is only working on an interim basis and has no intention of staying on as chief. 

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“We’re looking at about a six to eight week window is our hope to have an announcement in place,” Trew said.

In an interview Tuesday, Debienne confirmed the decision and said the announcement is likely tied to low membership within the department. Debienne said volunteer fire departments across the country are dealing with declining numbers, and he’s been working hard to recruit new members.

“We’re been short of people, low on members … and I’ve been trying to scream that loud and hard on social media to get people, not just in Carrot River, but in every community, to step up because if they don’t, they’re leaving their communities vulnerable,” Debienne told northeastNOW.

Trew said it has been tough to recruit new volunteer firefighters to the department in recent months. He said the new fire chief will be tasked with building up volunteer numbers, but added that response times in the community and surrounding area will not suffer during the transition.

“There will still be a response to First Responder calls, rescue calls and fire calls,” he said. “We anticipate that we’ll be able to answer the calls to the level of service that the residents have become accustomed to.”

Debienne, who has also taught the professional firefighter program and primary care paramedic program and trained many new volunteer recruits in the community, said the announcement Tuesday is disappointing. Debienne ran a Facebook page for the department highlighting the work of the volunteers, but has since changed the name, and said his family’s roots in the community have always focused on fire prevention and safety. Debienne’s father is a former chief of the fire department.

“I wasn’t ready to exit,” he added.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt