The Okotoks Fire Department has reason to brag about the quality of leadership, having an Executive Chief Fire Officer to its name.
Acting Fire Chief Pat MacIsaac was recognized for being one of the best in fire services at the Canadian Association of Fire Chief’s (CAFC) 110th Annual Conference in Calgary in mid-September.
MacIsaac and seven other fire chiefs from across the country were recognized at the conference for receiving the Executive Chief Fire Officer (ECFO) designation, joining a small company of chiefs with the distinction.
“He is one of only, currently, 104 chiefs across the country,” said Okotoks deputy chief Danny Freeman. “I asked yesterday if he knew how many fire departments there were across the country and he said 33,000 I believe, so that puts him in pretty elite company.”
Launched in 2018, the ECFO professional designation replaced the Chief Fire Officer program in Canada, and acknowledges the fire service leaders who showcase best practices, through proving 30 competencies that fall within seven themes: leadership, human resources, governance, business acumen, finance, fire prevention, and fire technical.
“(The ECFO designation is) essentially a clearing house for best practices for the fire service and whether or not you’ve achieved that standard, which he has,” said Freeman. “I think that’s huge for this community because it builds capacity, not only in our emergency services, but the community as a whole."
The Okotoks Fire Department has weekly meetings with the local RCMP, Okotoks Municipal Enforcement, and municipal staff in order to keep the town strong and safe, said Freeman, which benefits from MacIsaac's skillset.
“It’s important for the citizens to understand the level of service their getting from all their emergency services, and (MacIsaac) supports each and every one of them,” he said. “It’s a heck of a feather in his cap, but also in the community’s cap.
"It’s quite a standard and I’m very proud of him.”
A city of Calgary firefighter of 38 years, Freeman came to the Okotoks Fire Department in May. He said he and MacIsaac make a good team facing the changes to the fire services.
“There’s only so much money to go around and the fire service is a big draw on money. What do we offer?” he said. “We offer you the ability to sleep at night… we offer good people doing good work.
“And (McIsaac’s) doing a good job leading the industry and changing the local industry, the local fire department… this designation shows us his commitment to trying to make sure that the citizens are getting the best bang for their buck.”
Serving the community and offering the best possible practices is a core value for the department, and McIsaac’s ECFO designation is proof of that dedication.
MacIsaac's recognition at the conference came as a surprise to his department and his wife, who didn't know he had even applied for the designation despite the application and candidacy taking two years to complete.
“I didn’t even know that this was happening until he told me that that’s what was going on at this banquet, and I’m tearing up as he’s going up on stage,” said his wife, Bev. "To be recognized among his peers, I think that was the most important part for him.
“For the department here and the town here to recognize that too, I think he’ll be pleased. We’re pretty proud of him.”
While completing his ECFO candidacy was a two year process, but Bev said it wasn’t anything out of the normal for her husband.
“He’s always been somebody who wants to keep advancing and keep studying. He’s always teaching a course, taking a course, teaching somebody how to teach a course—I can’t keep up,” she said.
With a fire business degree and Chief Fire Officer status already in his cap, the ECFO designation was the next obvious step for MacIsaac.
“He’s always studying, he’s always taking different courses… it was a continual process for him,” she said. “He actually said ‘I think I might be too old, but I’m thinking about my Masters,’ and it was just like, one step at a time here.”Starting out volunteering for the fire and ambulance services in Manitoba in 1991, Bev said MacIsaac was originally a paramedic before he transitioned to firefighting and served as deputy chief under future-Okotoks Fire Department’s Chief Ken Thevenot in Thompson, MAN.
MacIsaac went on to serve as a fire chief in Saskatchewan for four years, before coming to Okotoks in February 2013.
“Ken Thevenot had been asking him, ever since he left Thompson he wanted Pat to come be his deputy, “ she said. “But Pat wanted to try out being chief and found out it wasn’t as glamorous a job as he thought, so he was happy to come to Okotoks and be deputy here.”
His time in Okotoks is testament to his dedication to the community.
“Considering we’ve been four years at just about every other place and we’re coming onto seven years, that says a lot,” she said. “I think we might be here a while longer, he’s really happy.
"I think he feels like he is being challenged and he is just so dedicated to the fire department.”
