A local fire chief has been named president of the Fire Fighters Association of Ontario (FFAO).
Kincardine's Brad Lemaich was voted into the role last week. While elections are usually held in even years, Lemaich is taking over for the retiring president, so his term will run to 2026.
Lemaich says FFAO executives approached him with the idea and he's excited for the opportunity to run the association.
"It won't take away any of my working time with the Municipality of Kincardine. This is an extra-curricular endeavor," he said. "The organization, they're in the fortunate position of representing, mostly the volunteer firefighters or paid on-call firefighters in the province, and they sit at the table with the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and government, and have a voice in discussions as to the future of the fire service in the province of Ontario."
He says he's hopeful that the role leads to enhanced input for the region, which has not had representation among executives in a while.
"It should be a positive thing, and I'm hoping it's good in general for the FFAO and in turn it's also good, you know, for a voice coming from Bruce County and this portion of Southwestern Ontario. We haven't had a member on the executive of that organization that I can remember, in 20 years at least," he said.
Joining Lemaich on the executive team is First Vice President Ryan Murrell from the Township of Muskoka Lakes and Second Vice President Scott Grant from the Moosonee Volunteer Fire Department.
