A familiar face has a new role at the Delta Fire Department.
Guy McKintuck, who began his career with Delta Fire & Emergency Services in 1993, has been appointed as the city’s new fire Chief.
McKintuck has spent the last five years as Deputy Chief under Chief Paul Scholfield, and before that Chief Dan Copeland.
The fire Chief position became available as a result of the retirement of Scholfield who served with the department for 30 years.
McKintuck becomes the 10th Chief of Delta Fire & Emergency Services since 1963 when the department became a career department.
“Paul had been talking to us about this for quite a while. It was not a surprise. He felt this was his time to go and has been working on a transition plan,” said McKintuck. “There was an internal posting and I was one of several who applied. Paul has been working with all of the deputy’s to coach us, allow us to do some shadowing if it was one of us who they decided to name Chief.”
McKintuck said he is excited to take on this new challenge.
“I’m very excited. I’m honoured to take on this role,” he said. “I’ve been working here for 28 years. This is where I grew up. I started when I was 22 years old. I’ve had many different positions within the department, so that will only help me transition into this role.”
Since the beginning of his career with Delta Fire & Emergency Services, McKintuck has made his mark, first as a firefighter, then in emergency planning, and more recently as a leader in progressively more responsible and challenging assignments. He has been instrumental in the department’s training efforts, streamlined the occupational and non-occupational leave process, and oversaw the department’s emergency medical responder program from its inception.
“I want to congratulate Chief Guy McKintuck for this well-deserved promotion. I am sure he will raise the department to new heights following the outstanding leadership of Chief Scholfield,” said Mayor George Harvie. “On behalf of council I offer my thanks and appreciation for the job Chief Scholfield did under very difficult circumstances while also pledging our support for Chief McKintuck. We are so fortunate to have such an effective and well-run Fire & Emergency Services Department. With great succession planning and a talented team, we are able to promote from within and achieve tremendous stability and consistency throughout the organization.”
McKintuck said he wants to build on the department’s success.
“What we have built here in Delta is amazing,” said McKintuck. “We are so fortunate. To be given the chance to lead this department…it’s like being handed a championship team. We have incredible employees, a great leadership team, support of mayor and council, great relationship with the union, so that is what makes it all very exciting.
“We have a chance to continue to make Delta the number one department. I could not imagine a department out there that is better than Delta.”
