It has been a long road, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) board has stepped in to clean up a messy situation at the Bonnyville Fire Department.
The board showed good judgement by choosing not to recognize the non-confidence vote in December that ousted chief Steve Wojcik and deputy chief James Sharun, where not all firefighters were present or aware of the vote. The board has ordered a supervised secret ballot election for the department to elect a new chief, where all eligible voters will be clearly informed of the details to ensure a fair democratic process.
The policy the board has established not only serves to remedy a tumultuous situation, but will serve as something to refer to in the future. According to BRFA board chair Ernie Isley, this will be the first supervised, secret ballot vote at the Bonnyville Fire Department.
After the upcoming vote that we expect to be fair and democratic, a precedent will be set. Future board members and firefighters alike will have something to refer to as guidance.
The decision to discuss whether a deputy chief is needed at each fire department within the BRFA is also a good idea. The board and fire chiefs within the BRFA are expected to come together and make decisions that will be uniform throughout the region. Either each fire department will have a deputy chief, or none will. It is also good practice to discuss the relevance of positions every so often in any organization.
The road to get to where the BRFA is today has not been a smooth one. Bumps along the way can certainly be further criticized, but it is high time the BRFA and the community move forward. The upcoming vote is a step in the right direction.
