Longtime and much-respected 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue (OMFR) chief Darrell Blades is moving onward and upward as he leaves his position to take on a challenging post in Ft. St. John on Aug. 21.
"I'll be deputy chief there working for one of my mentors in the fire service, Fred Burroughs, who is the fire chief.
"I am looking forward to that, and taking on some of the challenges of moving from a paid, on-call department to a fully career department."
Having worked with him on the Fire Chiefs' Association of British Columbia and various committees, Darrell says Fred is a "great guy" who was also a factor in his decision.
The service levels will be "very similar" to what OMFR provides, but in a much busier and larger department that services a sizable city, Darrell explains.
With a current population of more than 21,000, Ft. St. John is also the second-fastest growing city in B.C.
"It will be interesting. I am really excited to move on and take on this new role. But at the same time, I will definitely miss 100 Mile; 100 Mile is home to us.
"My family has been here for 33 years – since I was eight years old – and I'm leaving two months shy of 15 years as chief here, and two weeks shy of 19 years on the department."
With his three decades of local involvement with both minor hockey and soccer, Darrell will be missed across the wider community for more than just his professional excellence.
However, the departing fire chief says he is confident these groups are in good hands under their current leadership.
His wife, Jennifer, also volunteered in soccer and he says the whole family will have a new experience in getting to know the new faces in their future community.
"I'm going to miss this part, and miss the involvement in the community, but I am looking forward to new relationships in Ft. St. John."
Darrell says their oldest daughter, Taylor, is going to nursing school this fall, while their younger two children, Hannah and Kolten, are moving north with them.
Meanwhile, he is confident the community will see no service change or differences in the running of OMFR under newly appointed fire chief, Roger Hollander.
Hollander joined the department in May, and was deputy chief of the Lac la Hache Volunteer Fire Department for the previous nine years.
"I think the leadership we have in the department, and with Roger Hollander coming in, will definitely keep the department growing in the services, and the level of service that we provide," says Darrell. "The commitment will always be there."