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Firefighter Evan Dean will be new fire chief for Williams Lake

Dean has been with the city 11 years

The city of Williams Lake is promoting within for the new fire chief and director of protective services position.

Evan Dean has been awarded the top job after previously filling the positions of senior bylaw officer and manager of RCMP Municipal Services, the city announced Nov. 16. More recently, Dean was the city’s fire inspection/training officer and has served as a city of Williams Lake firefighter for nine years. He has been with the city for 11 years.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Evan promoted to this position, and look forward to him starting his role as the city’s director of protective services/fire chief,” Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said in a news release. “It is wonderful to be able to promote from within the organization, and I know I speak for the rest of council when I say we are looking forward to working with Evan in this capacity.”

The department was hit with a double loss this fall when former fire chief Erick Peterson and longtime former deputy fire chief Joan Flaspohler resigned in the same week. Peterson obtained a fire chief position with the city of Abbotsford while Flaspohler resigned to run for city council in the October 15 general election, which she won.

Chief Administrative Officer Gary Muraca noted Dean is an extremely qualified and capable individual who is passionate about his career and is a well-respected member of the city’s team.

“Evan was identified for this role in our succession planning and we know he will do a phenomenal job moving forward in his new position with the city,” Muraca said. “I would also personally like to thank assistant chief Trevor Schick and former fire chief Randy Isfeld for their input and assistance during the recruitment process, which was extremely valuable.”

Dean said he is honoured and humbled to be selected to serve the community. He moved to the community in 2011 and his family immediately fell in love with Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

“As a member of the Williams Lake Fire Department we have made so many connections to our region and I truly look forward to the opportunity,” he said. “With the recent departure of our fire chief and deputy chief we have seen a great deal of change recently in the Williams Lake Fire Department, and I see this as a tremendous opportunity for our department to continue to evolve and innovate, while also creating long-term stability for our community in the years to come.”



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Angie Mindus

About the Author: Angie Mindus

A desire to travel led me to a full-time photographer position at the Williams Lake Tribune in B.C.’s interior.
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