Code let go as fire chief

The City of Estevan is looking for a new fire chief.

Shane Code was informed on Tuesday morning that he had been let go, after a little more than a year on the job.

“It was a council decision, and we appreciate the fact that Shane, during his tenure with us, has helped our fire department grow,” Mayor Roy Ludwig told the Mercury in an interview on Tuesday afternoon. “He’s brought some good suggestions, and he was big on education.”

But council felt now was the time to make a change atop the Estevan Fire and Rescue Service.

Code was hired in October 2014, after previously serving as the chief in Coldstream, B.C.

He said he wasn’t given a reason for his dismissal, and he didn’t know it was coming.

But he found he was welcomed and supported by the firefighters since his arrival, even though it has been a challenging year for the fire department, with a number of significant fires, and the sudden passing of Captain Neil Kish early in the year.

Deputy Chief Dale Feser will serve as the acting chief. Ludwig said there will be a search for Code’s replacement.

Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.