Stratford deputy fire chief promoted to fire chief and director of emergency services

Neil Anderson, Stratford’s deputy fire chief since 2017, has been promoted to the city’s fire chief and director of emergency services.

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Made official at Monday’s council meeting, Anderson was appointed to the leadership position after previous chief John Paradis left his position to work as deputy city manager for the City of London back in July.

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“I think I have a very thorough understanding of this department and the city and corporation and how they operate,” Anderson told the Beacon Herald. “I know the people internally with the fire department, as well as with the rest of the corporation, so I think I’ve got a good rapport there with everyone, especially during the pandemic over the past few years in my role as community emergency management co-ordinator. …It gives me a good baseline to start in this position, and I had a fair bit of encouragement by the staff as well.

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“That helps with the idea of ​​going further and hoping to keep moving the department forward because my predecessor brought this department well up to date to where it needed to be.”

Prior to coming to Stratford, Anderson served for 29 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, first as a firefighter before obtaining his commission as an airfield engineering officer. As an officer, Anderson served as fire chief at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, and as both chief instructor and commander at the Canadian Forces Fire and CBRN Academy among other positions.

As Stratford’s fire chief and director of emergency services, Anderson will oversee the day-to-day operations of the city’s fire department and will be the director responsible for the Stratford Municipal Airport.

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“It is a big advantage to have the experience I have because all the bases I was stationed on were all air force bases,” Anderson said. “They all come under federal jurisdiction, and that’s the same as the airport here, so it helps to understand everything from the movement on the airfield to understanding lighting and control over the airfield, especially if you have to respond to an emergency on that site .”

In addition to overseeing ongoing efforts to promote the importance of the city’s airport and try to bring it closer to a break-even position as directed by council following a recent feasibility studyAnderson said he’s also looking to address the challenges associated with the increasing popularity of electric vehicles.

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“They in themselves are an extreme challenge when it comes to putting out a fire,” he said. “The batteries can get damaged – they call it thermal runaways – and these can catch fire when they’re 24 hours to a week later after an initial fire has been reported. And a fire with an electric vehicle can take 8,000-plus gallons to put out, so it’s a lot of commitment. So I’d like to find a way to contain these fires and return the firefighters back to service instead of having them stand by a vehicle for literally many hours.

“This technology is so new there isn’t clear-cut way to do that at this point in time, so that’s one of the bigger challenges. …They are a huge fire hazard when over-charged.”

As for opportunities on the horizon, Anderson said he’s looking forward to working on an updated and more streamlined tiered response agreement with Perth County Paramedic Services, something he hopes will help clarify how and when both services respond to medical emergencies in the city.

Anderson will also be working to recruit a new deputy fire chief to take his place.

“Neil has been a tremendous asset to the city as deputy fire chief and (community emergency management co-ordinator), and he will be a welcome addition to our corporate leadership team,” Stratford chief administrative officer Joan Thomson said in a press release. “The safety of our citizens is our most important priority and we are fortunate to have Neil in this critical leadership role.”

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