Melfort Fire Chief Shaun Stewart is in his first few weeks of the job. (Cam Lee/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Melfort fire chief

Melfort’s new fire chief reflects on first couple of weeks

Jan 6, 2020 | 10:23 AM

The new fire chief in Melfort says he’s enjoyed his brief time in the city so far.

Shaun Stewart was hired as chief last month to replace Jason Everitt, who left to take on the fire chief role in Whitehorse.

“Melfort? Love it,” Stewart told northeastNOW. “Small town, walk down the street, everybody’s really nice, they come up to you, they say ‘Hi, welcome to the town.'”

Stewart said the public and the staff at city hall have all been welcoming since his arrival.

Stewart was a firefighter in Abbotsford, B.C. from 1992 until 2008, and also had 10 years of experience with the Buckland Fire Department, along with work in corrections.

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Melfort’s new chief also worked at the justice institute while in British Columbia.

“I worked at their training facility so as a tech there [I] used to get to light fires, crash cars for the recruits to learn how to put those out,” he said.

The job was posted, and Stewart said he knew former chiefs Paul See and Jason Everitt, and thought Melfort would be a great fit.

It seems one other person thought so too.

“I can’t even take credit for [the decision to apply]. It was my 21-year-old daughter, she saw the ad in the paper and said ‘Dad, you’ve got this, it’s yours, put in for it’, and she knew right from the get-go,” Stewart said.

The chance to help the community was an opportunity Stewart couldn’t pass up.

“[Firefighting] has been part of my life since 1992, so we’re at 27 years, and it’s great,” he said. “I love the camaraderie with the guys, I love being able to teach them, and the best thing that a teacher can do is hope that their students surpass them.”

He said his plan is to set up a succession plan so when he retires there is someone ready to go in his place.

One of Jason Everitt’s goals was to improve communication within the department, and between the department, the public, and the media. Stewart said the open communication will continue via Facebook and Twitter.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974