After a lengthy recruitment process, Jim Sawkins has been hired as
the new head of Erin Fire and Emergency Services, replacing Dan Callaghan who retired
in December.
Town council confirmed the appointment in a closed session on Feb.
20, and Sawkins will start on March 12.
“I am pleased to welcome James to the town to fill this important
role,” said Erin Mayor Allan Alls. “He will add value to our efforts to move
the community forward and ensure that our Fire & Emergency Services are future
ready.”
Erin’s new chief has broad experience, including 20 years as a
military firefighter, but has been at the centre of controversy in two
communities.
He recently stepped down after serving as Director of Protective
Services and Fire Chief since 2011 in the Town of Inuvik in the Northwest
Territories. The community of 3,200 is located on the Dempster Highway in the
Mackenzie River Delta, close to the Beaufort Sea.
Sawkins was the focus of CBC coverage last fall, with some
firefighters in the 40-person department complaining about his leadership. One
firefighter resigned after a personal dispute. There were also complaints about
firefighters’ requests for additional training being denied.
Another resigned after a house fire in October that was initially extinguished,
but reignited a few hours later, destroying the structure. The Northwest
Territories Fire Marshall said there wasn’t enough evidence remaining to say
why the fire reignited.
Reached by phone in Inuvik, Sawkins said there were “a handful of
disgruntled firefighters” who disagreed with some of his management decisions,
and that it was a “complex situation”.
“I was brought in to do a job – to build up the fire department,” he
said. “I’ve done everything I could do there.”
He said was leaving the town on mutually agreeable terms, and that
he was interested in moving back to Ontario to be closer to family members.
Regarding the fire that reignited, he said, “the fire was out when
we left”, and that it was not a factor in him leaving the job.
“I’m looking forward to being part of the Erin team and meeting the
firefighters,” he said.
Sawkins previously served as fire chief in both the Township of
Muskoka Lakes (175 volunteer firefighters), and the Township of Tiny (86
volunteers). He also worked in fire services with the Canadian Forces, as a
fire chief and senior instructor.
After almost six years with Muskoka Lakes, he was fired by the
township council in 2010, sparking protests and some resignations by volunteer
firefighters. They wanted council to reinstate the fire chief and fire the
chief administrative officer instead.
Councillors stuck to their original decision, saying it was a
routine issue, relating to communication and a new management direction for the
department.
The fire chief’s termination came just weeks after more than 20
firefighters staged a protest at the township office in Port Carling. They used
municipal fire trucks to block off access to the building. Some complained of
budget cuts to the fire department and a lack of respect from council.
In a letter distributed to district fire chiefs and obtained by the
Huntsville Forester newspaper, Sawkins asked firefighters not to put the public
at risk. He considered running for mayor of Muskoka Lakes, but did not do so.
Sawkins is a Member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chief’s
National Advisory Council, Member of the National Fire Protection Association,
and past President of the Northwest Territories Fire Chief’s Association.