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Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department moving forward following meeting with CRD

Poul Beer appointed the new chief of the Interlakes Fire department
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Poul Beer is the new fire chief for the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department. (Photo submitted)

Poul Beer has been appointed the new chief of the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department following a meeting between the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and members of the department on March 11.

“It was great meeting with the department on the weekend. It was a very good meeting. We had a good opportunity to really understand what their concerns and issues were,” said regional district CAO Brian Carruthers who attended the meeting along with Area L director Eric de Vries and CRD board chair Margo Wagner.

“They all want to train,” he said. “The new chief wants to make sure everyone’s trained. It’s how to do we go about it in a way that has the members on board but we keep our objectives of getting compliant and certified by 2024.”

Carruthers said that director de Vries submitted some ideas to the CRD board on how they could move forward with training.

“It is certainly something we are looking at. Aside from director de Vries’ proposal, it is something that we are looking at anyway. How we can roll out or implement the College of the Rockies program in maybe a different way that still allows the regional district to achieve its objectives of being in compliance.”

This news has been welcomed by members of the IFVD including their spokesman Eugene Gerwing.

“Things are back on track,” Gerwing said. “We put forth a new fire chief to be appointed by the CRD, which they did. And it’s up to our new fire chief in regards to getting all our people back.”

Gerwing said the department anticipates between 30-40 members will return to the hall which may allow them to reinstate the first responder program discontinued back in December. It may take a while to get it organized but it is on the agenda, said Gerwing, noting the new chief has the backing of the entire department.

Over the next few weeks, Carruthers said the CRD will assess the hall’s old training and see how it compares to the current requirements. He will be meeting with the department of protective services over the next couple of weeks and strategizing how this can be achieved.

The department is currently without a new manager of protective services following the resignation of Michael Navratil earlier this month. Carruthers said they are looking for a new manager and that anytime you have someone new there is always an opportunity for change.

Wagner thanked the members of the IVFD for meeting with her, de Vries, and Carruthers.

“It was a pleasure to meet Chief Poul Beer - thank you for stepping up- and the other members present. We are confident that brighter days are ahead for the Interlakes VFD,” said Wagner in a post on Facebook.

The compromise was announced in a Facebook post by Gerwing’s wife Lynn on the Horse Lake/Lone Butte/ Interlakes Facebook on Sunday. The news was met with widespread relief.

“It’s all positive,” Gerwing said. “The meeting that we had with Brian and Margo and Eric, we were all on the same page and moving forward.”



fiona.grisswell@100milefreepress.net

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Fiona Grisswell

About the Author: Fiona Grisswell

I graduated from the Writing and New Media Program at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George in 2004.
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