Estevan’s recently appointed fire chief, Shane Code, wants to build a Starbucks in Estevan.
“I think it would do really well,” he laughed, while still donning a look of confidence that indicated it was an idea he would possibly follow through with one day.
Joking aside, however, Code does describe himself as a man of construction.
“As a fire chief goes, I am a builder,” he said. “The reason I came to Estevan is because I felt I had an opportunity to work with the current staff and to make positive change.”
Code admits he was nervous coming to Estevan, an emotion compounded by the fact that he’s the first fire chief in about 100 years to be imported from another province. He acknowledged the small-city vibe and how tight-knit communities, like Estevan, know everyone and everything that’s going on.
“The question comes up as a tax-paying citizen in this city; ‘what’s up with that,’” he said. “And they deserve an answer in the form of a commitment.”
This commitment starts with an open line of communication with residents,he said, a task made simpler with an active Twitter account Code uses regularly and encourages people to use to contact him. The Estevan Fire Rescue also opened a Twitter account this week.
“My door is always open,” Code said.
Secondly, a close study of Estevan’s Fire Rescue Service in tandem with a developing relationship with deputy fire chief Dale Feser and the rest of the current fire rescue team, is in the works. Code said everyone, including Feser, are highly motivated and it’s made his transition from Coldstream that much easier, where he operated within a paid on-call fire rescue service as well.
“Dale is a very passionate and driven guy, I’m pretty lucky to have landed a partner and employee like him,” he said. “I see an opportunity for deputy chief Dale Feser and myself to continue to build from where Estevan fire rescue is currently at.”
He said fire departments in general have evolved and their roles in the community have changed. Code wants to look closely at what they do, how they do it, and whether it can be done more efficiently.
“More and more in this day and age, fire departments have become the catch all in the public safety net,” he said. “The question becomes for the fire chief, what is it that we do and is it within our mandate, and if it is, how do we train and pay for it, and should it be in our mandate if it isn’t?”
Code said he is leaning on Feser’s knowledge of the community and charismatic character during the stages of his transition, calling it a “partnership,” and added how he’s noticed the respect everyone has for the deputy fire chief.
Feser described the few minutes before their first meeting as nerve-racking, but noted he quickly realized they were “like-minded individuals.”
“When you have a first encounter both parties are typically nervous,” he said. “We originally had a one-hour meeting planned, and two hours later we were still talking, so if that’s any indication of how things went I think they went very well.”
He acknowledged the fact that it was the first time a fire chief was imported, and said it can only prove beneficial for Estevan.
“We want to have fresh ideas and a fresh set of eyes from other areas throughout Canada,” he said. “No fire service is exactly the same, but the goal always is, and we want to see how we can make things better for our team and the citizens we serve.”
Code is finalizing a Fire Rescue Operations and Services Template (F.R.O.S.T), which he said is a plan for the upcoming year that will outline a number of things that will help improve operations between the fire rescue service, the city’s residents and other emergency services in Estevan.
The new fire chief came to Estevan by himself. His wife is an assistant fire chief in Coldstream and hasn’t made plans to join him, yet. Code enjoys reading, writing, and riding his motorcycle.
“Those things essentially keep me sane,” he said. “If you have a good book, a good journal and a good open stretch of road, that’s a good time.”
He said he uses writing as a way to strengthen the mind.
“It’s a muscle that needs to be worked,” he said.
Code noted some of the similarities between Estevan and Coldstream, but said he was pleasantly surprised with the Energy City’s cultural diversity, and described the community as a growing one that has provided him with a warm welcome.
Code wants to return that favour, and stressed people to contact him and the fire department at any time.
“We are a fire service, we respond to emergencies and we are invested in the health and safety of our local citizens, but, we are a service first,” he said. “A fire service, educational service, your departmental service, and my door is open and if people have questions or concerns about this fire service and what we do or don’t do, or simply want to have a better understanding of where to go next, by all means, please contact us.”
