Mayor Eric Woodward announced the appointment of Jason de Roy as the new 91原创 Township fire chief in a social media post on Wednesday afternoon, April 26.

鈥淐ongratulations to Jason de Roy for being offered and accepting the position of fire chief at the Township of 91原创,鈥� Woodward said.

鈥淕reat to chat with him for a few minutes this morning. We reviewed again many of the priorities and challenges we face as a growing community, not having built a new fire hall in over 15 years. We need to catch-up and keep up with our growth, with lots to work on, from better training to additional resources for fire prevention.鈥�

De Roy said he was 鈥渧ery excited鈥� to be joining the Township of 91原创 Fire Department.

鈥淭he Township of 91原创 is where my family and I call home, and I am eager to get started working with the talented team and make a positive impact for our community,鈥� de Roy said.

De Roy, a Willoughby resident, will officially join the Township of 91原创 May 15.

He has more than 30 years of experience in fire service including as assistant fire chief at both the North Vancouver City Fire Department and District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

He will take over from retiring Township fire chief Stephen Gamble, who retired after 12 years.

READ ALSO: 91原创 Township Fire Chief Stephen Gamble retires

De Roy arrives as the Township prepares to beef up the number of firefighters.

Council just approved increasing the number of firefighters by 11 this year, as well as adding five RCMP officers, and hiring three new bylaw officers.

More firefighter and RCMP hires are planned over the next several years, with the fire department in particular set to be beefed up to ensure there are sufficient members to cover emergency calls.

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