Rick Davies first year as the deputy fire chief with the Estevan Fire Rescue Service has been a busy but an enjoyable experience.
Davies was hired as the deputy fire chief early in the year. He spent 16 years with the fire department before he was hired as the deputy chief.
“I've been really enjoying the job,” said Davies. “With the new fire hall renovations and move, it's been a little unorthodox, I believe, but it's been good.”
The move that Davies referred to is the shift from the fire department's current home on Third Street to their new home at the former Murray GM dealership on 13th Avenue.
“Since this project began, I've been pretty in-depth with helping quoting and designing and working here,” said Davies. “It's a little out of the realm of what I would normally be doing day to day, but we need to get in here.”
Davies was a captain for a number of years before being promoted to deputy chief. One of the big differences he has noticed would be his responsibilities when responding to calls.
“There's a lot more to do responding as a chief officer than there is as a captain,” said Davies. “You're not so much looking after a crew and a specific job, you're kind of overseeing the whole operation.”
There is also a lot more paperwork, Davies said.
As deputy chief, he has tasks regarding the firefighters’ equipment, where as an officer he might have input but not a final say. He has more responsibility when it comes to inspecting buildings, which he has been doing with fire Chief Dale Feser.
And he's spending more time in the fire hall, since deputy chief is a full-time job.
But Davies believes he had a good understanding of what he was getting into, so the job has been what he expected it would be.
“There is a little bit more time dedicated than one would have thought, but overall it's pretty good,” said Davies.
The experience he has a long-time member of the fire department has helped with his transition, he said, since he knows the firefighters, the department's operations and its equipment.
