Didsbury fire chief resigns amid unrest in volunteer department

Didsbury’s fire chief has stepped down, the latest in a string of resignations from the department in recent months.

The town, about 80 kilometres north of Calgary, made the announcement in a news release on Monday, saying Chief Craig Martin “has elected to end his current term effective immediately.”

His resignation comes months after an independent review made nine recommendations to improve department safety, some directly related to Martin’s “ability to manage an emergency scene.”

Five of the volunteer department’s 31 firefighters had resigned as of July 26 and another firefighter was on leave. Deron Reimer, manager of protective services for the town, will serve as acting fire chief until a new chief is hired.

More than a dozen letters of complaint from Didsbury firefighters triggered a departmental review, which found the officer core and deputy chiefs had “lost confidence” in the chief, leading to some members “undermining his authority.”

The review found the department lacking in standard operating procedures, running orders, job descriptions and codes of conduct. It also said Martin often responded to emergency calls by himself in a command vehicle.

Recommendations on how to fix shortcomings with the chief ’s conduct appear multiple times in the review, including a lack of “human resource management experience and conflict resolution skills.”

Didsbury town council unanimously voted to accept all nine of the report’s recommendations, including a now-scrapped 12-month review period for Martin to “assess areas for improvement” and “address shortfalls.”

The review also requested the town complete a safety audit of the department by Oct. 1.

Council was scheduled to meet again on Tuesday and the town said it will issue an update on the state of the department in coming days.

The Didsbury Fire Department is made up entirely of volunteers whose members are on call 24 hours a day and provides emergency services to the town and surrounding communities north of Calgary.

Calgary-based Caliber Planning conducted the review for the town. The company provides emergency management solutions to public sector clients in Canada and the U.S.

(Chief Craig Martin) has elected to end his current term effective immediately.