On July 18, Frank Loeffen becomes the new chief of the West Nipissing Fire and Emergency Service. The municipality of West Nipissing made the announcement on June 15th, confident Loeffen “will be a welcomed asset to our organization.”
The need for a new chief came about after former chief Richard Maranda retired at the end of May. Maranda served as a firefighter for 34 years and was chief since 2013. For Maranda, the firefighters were “like a second family.”
See: West Nipissing fire chief hangs up his hat
Maranda left some big boots to fill, but Loeffen brings a wealth of experience of his own to the new job, with over 30 years in fire service. He’s coming from the East Ferris Fire Department, where he served as fire chief for 18 years.
West Nipissing’s chief administrative officer, Jay Barbeau, “is confident the new chief will be received with open arms” by both the fire department and the municipality. On top of his technical knowledge of the job, Loeffen also “understands the value and the issues surrounding attracting and motivating volunteer firefighters.”
Moreover, the new chief “is fully bilingual,” Barbeau explained, “and will easily be welcomed at all our fire stations.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
