After an extensive search, the Town of Plympton-Wyoming has found its new fire chief and director of fire and emergency services.
A news release issued Wednesday said Erik Campbell will be joining the town on Monday, October 2.
He most recently served as fire chief and manager of emergency response and planning at St. John's International Airport Authority in Newfoundland.
Campbell brings a variety of experience, having been in fire services for 20 years and the Canadian Army for 15 years, eight of those as a volunteer firefighter.
He holds a Bachelors in Applied Business: Emergency Services from Lakeland College; a certificate in Fire Service Leadership and Administration from Dalhousie University; and a Master of Science, Leadership, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University.
“I want to thank the Fire Executive Committee, His Worship and Council Members for selecting me, allowing the privilege of serving as the Director of Fire and Emergency Services / Fire Chief," said Campbell. "I look forward to serving the citizens of the Town of Plympton-Wyoming and supporting the fire service membership incorporating a collaborative and empowerment approach to further create a strong team and build a psychologically safe environment, allowing all members to contribute and grow. I also look forward to working with the Fire Executive Committee, His Worship and Council Members in strengthening the overall safety of the community and further increasing the quality of service provided, making the Town of Plympton-Wyoming desired as a place to live, play, grow, and work.”
Mayor Gary Atkinson said Campbell is a well-respected and proven leader.
"I think what we saw in Erik's resume and presentation was the qualifications we were looking for to take our department, what we have today, and advance it even further into the future," said Atkinson. "He's certainly well-qualified and has a good track record wherever he's been."
Atkinson said there were a lot of strong applicants and it was a tough decision.
"Erik just seemed to have a little bit of something that we felt we needed. We have two departments, and we're continuing to try and work together as one team. We have to make sure that our firefighters have proper training and skills that need to be updated constantly. We need a chief who is going to ensure that's being done so that when the firefighters go to a call, they're as well trained as possible to help our residents out."
In March, the Town of Plympton-Wyoming put former fire chief Darryl Thompson on administrative leave, and CAO Carolyn Tripp was placed on sick leave.
It was announced in May that both of them would not be returning to their roles.
At the time, officials did not give a specific reason for their departure and said it was a confidential personnel matter.
Mayor Atkinson expected an announcement about the vacant CAO role to be made in a matter of weeks.