Fire chief remains active despite health leave
It has been a baptism by fire for St. Catharines’ new deputy fire deputy chief.
A day after Jeff McCormick joining the ranks of St. Catharines Fire and Emergency Services, the city’s other deputy fire chief, Monique Belair, parted ways with the city on June 21 without explanation.
About a week after that, Chief Dave Wood took an indefinite health-related leave of absence.
“It’s been a very exciting times,” Wood said Monday while responding to a minor fire at a townhouse on Westland Street, his first fire call since starting his new job.
Despite being new to the job, McCormick was left as the sole top manager in a fire department that typically has three people filling the roles.
The expertise among firefighters, however, has helped make the job easier.
“I’m very fortunate that there are a lot of people in the department who have been here for a long time,” McCormick, 53, said. “There’s some fantastic leadership in the department at the platoon chief and assistant platoon chief level, and certainly with the executive assistant.”
“They’ve all banded together to help me. It’s been a very welcoming environment here in the fire services in St. Catharines. I’m just happy to be here.”
He has also been in almost daily contact with Wood.
“Although Chief Wood is not physically in the office, he’s only a phone call away,” McCormick said. “He’s still overseeing everything. We’re in constant communication.”
“Hopefully, he’ll be back to work as quickly as possible.”
Reached at his home Monday, Wood said his leave of absence is related to “a few back issues that I have to get straightened out.”
“I’m answering e-mails and I’m by phone, but I need to take a few days to let my back settle down,” Wood said.
He said medication he’s taking prevent him from working, but he hopes to return to the job next week depending on the advice of his physician.
“I’m hoping to take this week off and get some more rest and be back on my feet,” the chief said. “While not 100 per cent, I’m hoping to be somewhat better than I was before I went off.”
In the meantime, he called being away from the office “kind of depressing.”
“I’m a Type A personality and I like to be involved in everything,” he said. “But I know I have great staff. Everybody in the department does a great job, and we’ll keep moving forward and being progressive.”
Wood said he couldn’t provide any information on Belair’s departure because it’s a human resources issue.
“I can’t say anything more about it other than we wish Monique the best in her future endeavours.”
Although the management changes came almost immediately after McCormick’s appointment, Wood said it was not planned that way.
“It was just the circumstances. It just happened the way the happened,” he said.
McCormick is currently commuting from Brantford, where he worked as the chief of that fire department prior to his retirement a year ago.
“The goal is to move down here,” he said. “At the deputy chief level, you really want to be involved in the community. The only way to do that is to be part of the community.”