(Photo credit: RDCO)

By Pete McIntyre

veteran firefighter

New fire chief for North Westside

Feb 2, 2022 | 11:35 AM

A veteran firefighter has been hired as the new chief for North Westside Fire Rescue.

Ron Ewert will start his duties Feb. 22, leading the paid-on-call department which serves the communities along Westside Road from La Casa to Westshore Estates in the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO).

Ewert comes to the position from Vancouver Fire and Rescue where he has been a firefighter since 1994.

“He served as an acting battalion chief and was the captain in charge of disaster and emergency planning. He also brings experience and knowledge of interface firefighting, as he was a task force leader with BC Wildfire during the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire and participated in firefighting efforts in the 2018 Quesnel and 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfires,” a news release from RDCO stated.

RDCO engineering services director David Komaike says Ewert has also been involved with paramedic training as a lead instructor for the Vancouver department.

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“All these skills will benefit members and residents of the North Westside Fire Service Area and the other RDCO fire departments. On behalf of the communities served we also want to thank Nic Cantryn for his commitment and dedication to the North Westside department serving as acting chief since last fall,” said Komaike.

Global News reported in December 2021 that the department’s former chief, Alex Van Bruksvoort, was holding the position, but the reasons for that were not being released by RDCO officials for privacy reasons.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan provides fire protection and suppression services through four paid-on-call departments in the Ellison, Joe Rich, North Westside and Wilson’s Landing communities within the Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West electoral areas. Each department provides services specifically for its fire protection area and is funded by property owners living within the fire department jurisdiction.