The St. Marys Fire Department has announced newly promoted deputy fire chief Kevin Edwards as the January 2023 “Firefighter of the Month”.
With the retirement of former deputy fire chief Brent Dundas on Dec. 31, St. Marys Fire Services was left with a vacant leadership position.
“Kevin has been a part of the SMFD for 21 years and is taking on this key leadership role at a pivotal time in our service’s history," Fire Chief Richard Anderson said in a news release.
Edwards joined the department as a firefighter in 2001. Through hard work, determination and upgrading his education through the fire officer program, he was promoted to captain in 2014. He officially assumed the role of deputy fire chief on Jan. 1.
The deputy fire chief position is typically held by an experienced, well-respected officer who rose through the firefighter ranks. The job comes with significant responsibility.
In addition to their own duties, they take the lead in the absence of the fire chief. The position includes a combination of administrative work and time spent in the field to keep operations running efficiently.
Deputy chiefs supervise and coordinate the activities of emergency response attack teams, including responding to emergencies, scheduling ongoing training, managing firefighters, conducting training programs and ensuring that department policies and procedures are followed.
Edwards' interest in the department developed in the late 1990s when he heard of how many great things the volunteer firefighters did for their community.
He researched what it would take to become a firefighter and one day he applied for a vacant firefighter position.
“The day I was accepted by the fire department as a new firefighter was incredibly exciting,” Edwards said.
“As I followed the process and was accepted into the brotherhood, I quickly learned that becoming a firefighter was not only a dream come true, but it led to a long and rewarding career. From the first call I attended, all the firefighters I was working with displayed great knowledge, experience, and professionalism. No matter how serious the call, I could always count on knowing that every firefighter and officer would be there to ensure that if I ever needed something, they were only a phone call away.”
Edwards said, “On the other side of becoming a firefighter, I learned how deeply committed the firefighters were as they volunteered their time to host charitable events, such as the first town-wide cleanup, firefighter breakfast and rib dinner fundraisers. This was just another way that reiterated to me that I had made one of the best choices of my life in joining the St. Marys Fire Department.”
Edwards was raised in the Barbados and moved to Canada in 1987. He is married to Kelly, and they have two adult children, Tristan, and Logan. He works at Shur-Gain/ Nutreco Canada Inc. as a pet food production supervisor/assistant plant manager.
Deputy fire chief Edwards was selected as the Firefighter of the Month for numerous reasons. However, the unanimous decision was based on his leadership.
"Kevin has been serving as a fire captain for the past eight years. His work ethic, attitude and leadership skills made the appointment to deputy fire chief an easy decision." said Chief Anderson. “I am proud to award Kevin Edwards Firefighter of the Month.”
