New fire chief

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Fire Department (SFD) has recently welcomed its new Fire Chief, David Sturgeon, to the force. 

Now roughly three weeks into the job, Sturgeon said he’s looking forward to diving into the job and has felt a warm welcome this far from the rest of the team. 

“So far, so good. Everybody’s been super welcoming,” he said. “It’s a great crew here, everybody’s very dedicated so it’s been a nice transition and (I’m) looking forward to what I can help with in the future.”

Sturgeon explained his beginnings as a firefighter weren’t all that different than most who sign up, particularly having been egged on by a friend to join on and start training. 

“Like a lot of firefighters out there, I started as a volunteer back in the mid 2000’s and just kind of worked my way up over the years,” he said.

It wasn’t long into his service that Sturgeon decided he wanted to be one of the big fish and step into a position of leadership.

“I’ve been a chief officer for over 10 years now and (served) in a few different departments. Most recently, I went away from the fire service, I wanted a director’s position for about a year in Peace River and B.C.,” said Sturgeon. “I decided I didn’t want to lose the operational side, so I wanted to get back into operations in the fire department.”

He added a highlight of serving on the force is the camaraderie one develops with the rest of the crew and the variety that comes with the day-to-day operations.

“There’s always a ton of different people with different life experiences, they’re always there for you and it’s a very tightknit organization,” said Sturgeon. “There’s just so much to learn, you’ll never know everything in the fire department and you’re constantly training and upgrading your skills. It’s always changing and never a dull moment.”

Despite his experience, Sturgeon feels he’s still in the process of learning and adjusting to the new station, but that won’t be a feeling that sticks around long. 

“There’s always that initial time where you have to definitely learn the reigns,” he added. “Everybody does things a little bit differently … so I’ve been feverishly trying to learn.

“I feel like already in the first few weeks, I’ve got a few things figured out and I’m looking forward to what I can do in the future for Strathmore.”