Crowd demands answers to loss of fire chief

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: September 09, 2008

Despite being banned from bringing up the firing of Coldstream’s fire chief, a few residents managed to wedge their opinions through at Monday’s council meeting. While the disobedience produced some stunned faces among district staff and council, the approximately 70 people who packed the Lavington Elementary gym exploded with applause. Among the two individuals to voice their concerns was John Hegler, who is known for not being shy when it comes to sharing his thoughts on council decisions. Hegler appeared as a delegation but had previously been told that he could not discuss the dismissal of fire chief Leo Lecavalier. So he tip toed around the topic, talking about the fire department in general and their constitution. “The leader of the fire department shall be elected each year by the members. At that time if council does approve or not approve, that’s when they can get rid of him,” Hegler read from his notes.

He went on to explain that the membership is responsible for their own advertising, hiring, training, etc. “They’re not Coldstream employees are they? They do it all themselves.” Becoming a member of the fire department also means you must live in Coldstream. “Yet you can be an alderman and you can live in Vancouver or Timbuktu. Kinda strange.” Hegler also pointed out some Coldstream facts. Listing the chain of command, he noted how the councillors sit below the taxpayers, who vote them in. “As one of your employers, and as a taxpayer, I’m not asking you, I’m demanding, I want to know how you voted,” he said, referring to the in-camera meeting that led to Lecavalier’s Aug. 1 dismissal. The school gym immediately echoed with applause over Hegler’s daring demand.

But Mayor Gary Corner immediately denied his request. Coun. Bill Firman was expected to raise a motion at the in-camera meeting following the public portion Monday to disclose how everyone voted at that fateful meeting. Firman did make the motion, but whether councillors denied it or agreed to the disclosure is not being released because it is an in-camera issue.

Another individual also took the stage to speak on behalf of the organization and constitution of fire departments. Retired Lavington fire chief Tony Metz stood up to explain just what every member of the fire department, including the chief, means to each other. Joining the hall in his early 20s, Metz said he looked up to the members, who took him under their wing and taught him so much. As in every fire department, camaraderie played a large role in their duty to protect the community. But when one of the team members is taken from them, particularly their ring leader, it’s a tremendous blow to the entire operation, said Metz. “For a (district) to take away a leader is hard to take and I just hope something can be done about it.” Instead of echoing, the applause rolled into a thunderous boom for Metz’ speech. In his presentation, Hegler also applauded the fire departments for everything they do, adding that most people don’t realize just how much they do. “I know I have taken them for granted.”