The town of Gananoque has a new fire chief.
Steve Tiernan officially took over the role September 5th.
The new chief comes to Gananoque having most recently worked for Northern Bruce Peninsula Fire & Emergency Services where he held the position of District Chief and Training Officer.
He was also the Fire Prevention Officer for the municipality.
Tiernan says a number of reasons led him to the Eastern Ontario town but maybe the biggest one is “having a new young fire department was exciting to me,” he said.
“We have nine new recruits so it’s an exciting time for the fire service when fire services are struggling trying to get recruits.”
Gananoque’s Mayor Erika Demchuk is pleased with the hire, saying Tiernan brings plenty of experience.
“It’s not as if we have to start right from scratch and start training somebody, sending them off to a lot of courses,” Demchuk said. “He’s got them right there under his belt — he can help with the training, he’s taken all those courses to train the firemen — so he’s going to take the firefighters to the next level.”
Tiernan replaces Gary Bullock who held the position on an interim basis after the town severed ties with long-time chief Gerry Bennett.
Last September the town of Gananoque and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands launched an investigation into the fire department’s books after discovering irregularities in invoices and billing.
The OPP is investigating and it’s unclear if charges will be laid.
Unlike his predecessors, Tiernan’s responsibilities do not include Leeds and the Thousand Islands.
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