Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Mathew Conte has been hired as the new fire chief by the Municipality of Jasper and is set to begin his role on May 10.
Since 2005, Conte has been serving as the fire chief and director of emergency management with the Town of Coalhurst, which is 15 kilometres northwest of Lethbridge.
Conte already has an idea of what is required for his new job as he is acquainted with the Jasper area and has heard former Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem speak before at conferences.
鈥淚 kind of knew of him and what he did in the community and I knew the department ran very well, so that was a big plus,鈥� Conte said.
鈥�(I鈥檓) looking forward to getting in and helping to take over for him and continue leading the department.鈥�
Conte is originally from Medicine Hat and spent part of his teenage years in British Columbia where he served as a junior firefighter with the Lumby Volunteer Fire Department.
鈥淎t that time, my father was on the department too, so he kind of got me in on the junior program and kind of learning the aspects of the job and (I) started doing training and all that and then really kind of took to it,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 enjoy doing it and just kind of stuck with it ever since.鈥�
After his family moved back to Alberta, Conte joined the Coalhurst Fire Department.
He continued to develop his skills, knowledge and certifications, including an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-A) certification, various National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) certifications and formal training as director of emergency management.
Conte is now enrolled in the bachelors of applied business: emergency services at Lakeland College.
鈥淐hief Conte鈥檚 experience with both urban and rural environments, multi-agency coordination and commitment to supporting and developing a close-knit group of volunteers mean he will be a great addition to our team at the Municipality of Jasper, and our community,鈥� said Bill Given, the municipality鈥檚 chief administrative officer, in a news release.
Conte will move to Jasper with his wife, their 15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter.
The family enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, quadding, hunting and hiking.
鈥淚 quite enjoy the outdoors, so it鈥檒l be quite a bit of a change from the southern prairies to the mountains again,鈥� Conte said.
In terms of firefighting, Conte didn鈥檛 anticipate too much of a jump when it came to the structural aspect, but there would be a transition from dealing with grassland fires and high winds to forestry preparation.
The Jasper Fire Department also cannot rely as much on mutual aid from other departments compared to the one in Coalhurst.
鈥淟ocally, the department needs to be trained, certified and capable of running on their own until these larger events require outside resources to come in,鈥� Conte said.
Conte has begun reviewing polices, procedures, department plans and mutual-aid agreements, and he will focus on getting to know the local firefighters.
His long-term plans will include public education and certified training for members once the pandemic ends.
