The Town of Nanton has a new Fire Chief.

Doug Arkes has been a firefighter for nine years with Turner Valley, the City of Calgary and the Town of Nanton.

"I have been here in Nanton for three years," said Arkes, who was also the deputy chief before taking on this new role.

His family has lived in Nanton for three years, he's been a rural firefighter for nine years, he's worked with EMS for seven years and has worked for the Calgary Fire Department for five years.

When John G Dozeman resigned as the Chief to run for Nanton Town Council, Arkes applied for the part-time job.

Before making any changes to the department he is going to keep the progress they have been making going forward.

Arkes adds there is always a lot of turnover with the volunteer service and training is always ongoing.

And the department has had a busy year.

"In town we have done 127 calls already and we have a month left in our reporting year. We have probably done a similar number of those calls in the MD. So we are probably 50 or 60 calls over our average."

Arkes said it can be challenging because most of the firefighters work out of Nanton.

"Especially during the week. With Nanton being as close as it is to the city, we do have a lot of people that work out of town. Whether it is High River, Okotoks or Calgary. There are definitely times during the week that we are short staffed."

And while John G Dozeman has stepped back as Chief to take on his new role as a councillor, he is still a volunteer and Arkes says his 25 years as a firefighter is valuable experience.

"He is a great resource to have. Just having his knowledge and his experience to pull on is great for me and the department as a whole."

 

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