KENORA — The City of Kenora has announced that David Pratt will serve as the city’s next fire chief and director of emergency services.
Pratt takes over the reins from the current fire chief, Kent Readman, who is moving to southern Ontario.
“I am thrilled to lead the organization. We were sorry to see the previous Chief, Kent Readman, leave. But I think over the last eight months that I’ve been here with Chief Readman we’ve been able to develop a path forward for the department to provide the best level of service we can for the city,” said Pratt.
Last March, Pratt moved from southern Ontario to Kenora to take on the role of deputy fire chief, where he worked alongside Readman.
“He had a vision and I shared that vision and I am here to try and carry that forward,” Pratt said.
Pratt said they worked together on a 10-year strategic emergency management plan, which covers all aspects of improvements to fire services, particularly, training.
“All of our paid per-call-staff, so our volunteers, we have to train them to a certain level to provide that service safely and efficiently for the members of the community," Pratt said.
"There is a cost associated with that along with training hours, so that is probably the biggest change moving forward is how do we take our paid per-call-staff and get them trained to match the requirements to the standards to provide the service.”
Pratt plans to bring the 10-year emergency safety management plan to council in early 2023.
As for plans to bring more fire safety awareness to the community, Pratt highlighted the necessity of having a home fire safety plan and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
“My goal here in the last eight months and being in certain residences is to make sure that every residency, whether it be a house, a semi-detached, or an apartment has a working smoke alarm and a working carbon monoxide detector," he said.
"Time and time again, they’ve saved lives. I think it is imperative that our service, our staff, is knocking on doors and making sure that people understand the requirements because they are legally required, but also assisting in any way we can to make sure people are properly protected."
In 1998, Pratt began working as a volunteer firefighter with the Town of Halton Hills, and over his career, he held two hats, as a volunteer and a career Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Marshal.
Pratt received his diploma from the Ontario Fire College in Fire Prevention and Company Officer, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University.
He holds several National Fire Protection Association certifications and recently completed the Humber College Fire Service Executive Management Certificate.
If you are a member of the public who is looking to train and become a volunteer firefighter, the Kenora Fire Department is always looking for community members to join the team.
“We are always looking for community members who are looking for a challenge, who are physically fit and who have the excitement of providing emergency services to the community. So, if anyone is interested in talking to me about becoming a paid-per-call firefighter, I welcome the opportunity,” said Pratt.
