The City of Sarnia has a new fire chief.
Brian Arnold will take over for the retired John Kingyens effective June 10, 2019.
Arnold comes to Sarnia from Cambridge where he's been the deputy fire chief for the past four years. Prior to that, he was deputy chief in Woodstock and a fire training instructor with the city of London. His firefighting career started in Toronto where he spent 11 years.
Arnold said he's really excited about coming to Sarnia.
"I thought it really looked interesting, I know Sarnia has undergone significant changes over the last several years in diversifying its economy," said Arnold. "It's a beautiful city, the waterfront is fantastic, and the reputation of Sarnia Fire & Rescue and its professional men and women really made it enticing for me."
Arnold said he also looks forward to working with Chemical Valley industry.
"I look at it as an opportunity for me to continue to learn, to get to know the industry leaders, and certainly our emergency measures and practices that we have in place, and to move that program forward in any way that I can," he said.
Arnold's certifications and credentials include a Master of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario, and he currently chairs or sits on various fire inspection, safety, and emergency management committees. -With files from Josh Boyce