Rick Arnel has been named Fire Chief for the Town of Essex.
Arnel comes after serving as Assistant Fire Chief for the Chatham-Kent Fire Service. He was also the Fire Chief of the Town of Tilbury.
The new chief has no concerns about working with an all-volunteer team. "I understand the volunteers' place, and how they work and think. I just want to be able to help," says Arnel.
When Chatham-Kent was searching for a new chief in 2013, Arnel threw his helmet into the ring, but the job eventually went to Ken Steubing. "You just never know whenever you go into an interview process... you just put your best foot forward. I tried that and it didn't work out." Arnel's first day on the job is January 5.