Greater Napanee Fire promotes Shawn Armstrong to fire chief

At their regular council meeting on Feb. 25, Town of Greater Napanee Council appointed Shawn Armstrong from acting fire chief to fire chief.

As of Feb. 26, Armstrong will be assuming the roles and responsibilities as the appointed fire chief by council under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. In this new appointed role, Armstrong will be contributing to the organization on a full-time bases for a non-defined term.

Armstrong expressed dedication and commitment to his role. 

“As fire chief, I am honoured to lead an organization of highly skilled and dedicated firefighters who are passionate about protecting our community from the risks of fire and other hazards. I look forward to working with the team at the Greater Napanee Fire Department in delivering council's approved programs and services. I also look forward to working with the community, council, Senior Leadership Team, and Fire Team at the Town of Greater Napanee to incrementally improve our mandatory, legislated, and essential services based on the evolving needs and circumstances of our growing community,” said Armstrong.

Mayor Terry Richardson expressed excitement that Armstrong accepted a permanent position if Fire Chief and noted Armstrong will be an asset to the Town’s Fire Department.

“I am extremely excited that Chief Armstrong has decided to accept the permanent position of fire chief with the Town of Greater Napanee. Chief Armstrong is an extremely qualified and experienced fire professional who will undoubtedly be an asset to our Department and Corporation. Welcome chief, to our Greater Napanee family,” stated Richardson.

Armstrong joined the Greater Napanee Fire Department as the acting fire chief in April 2024 after serving as fire chief for the City of Guelph and, most recently, for the City of Kingston. 

Throughout his career, Armstrong has successfully led his fire service teams on a continuous quality improvement process which led to a prestigious international accreditation award for Kingston Fire & Rescue’s quality performance measures, community risks assessment, and strategic planning for fire and life safety programs and services.

Armstrong is a graduate of the Fanshawe College Law and Security Administration program, the Ontario Police College, the Ontario Fire College, and successfully completed the Leading, Educating, and Developing Program at the University of Virginia, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

In his post with the Greater Napanee Fire Department, Armstrong’s mandate will include:

• An assessment of all fees and charges that fall within the Fire Department to identify how the town’s fee structures compare with similar municipalities.

• Delivery of a revised Fire First Response Agreement that prioritizes core life-saving support for the paramedic service in collaboration with the County of Lennox and Addington’s Paramedic Service.

• Negotiating/reaching new agreements with unions representing full-time and paid-on-call firefighters.

• Developing service standards for all programs and services within the Fire Department

• Establishing training and certification requirements and reporting on operational resourcing in accordance with standardized training as outlined in Ontario Regulation 343/22 under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

• Participating in the development and implementation of enterprise-wide criteria and data systems to measure asset management (vehicles, equipment, facilities).

• Researching and revising the by-law governing the Greater Napanee Fire Department to bring it in line with best practices.

• Completing a Fire Master Plan for the Town of Greater Napanee.

• Finalizing and reporting on a Community Risk Assessment for the Town of Greater Napanee.