Innisfil council appoints new fire chief

The Town of Innisfil has a new fire chief.

Tom Raeburn was named as the new chief of Fire and Rescue Services, effective Thursday, at a special meeting of the town council on Wednesday night.

“I am truly honoured and excited to have this opportunity to serve our growing town,” Raeburn said in a statement. “While our focus remains on protecting our community, we will continue to expand our efforts to educate residents of all ages about fire safety, in addition to numerous other initiatives.”

According to the release, Raeburn first joined the Innisfil Fire and Rescue Services in 1995 as a volunteer firefighter and became a full member in 2000.

In 2011, Raeburn became a fire captain. He moved up the ranks again to become deputy fire chief in 2013, stepping in to act as chief on numerous occasions.

During his time with the service, Raeburn has led the replacement of two fire stations, the construction of a new station and has worked to reduce emergency response times.

News of Raeburn’s appointment comes a month after the town’s previous fire chief, Jon Pegg, left the post to become Ontario’s chief of emergency management.