Matt Treit has been hired as the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) manager of protective services with an expected start date of Aug. 6.
Treit will be the first person to occupy this role, which replaces the emergency coordinator position. Gibsons fire chief Rob Michael has been doubling as the coordinator since Bill Elsner resigned in August 2018.
In January, directors voted to move ahead with the new position based on recommendations laid out in reports by Dave Mitchell & Associates.
“[I’m] pretty excited about the level of experience he’s bringing,” SCRD chair Lori Pratt told Coast Reporter. “His resume looks fantastic and it sounds like he’s going to be a really good fit.”
Treit, a designated Chief Fire Officer – the province’s highest rank in fire and rescue services – has spent three years as the protective services coordinator at the District of Coldstream, north of Kelowna. While there he revised the district’s emergency plan, wrote operational guidelines and a new fire protection bylaw, and created a training manual.
Before that he served as the fire chief for the District of Tumbler Ridge in the foothills of the Rockies in northeast B.C. He also wrote a new emergency plan for that district.
In addition to managing the SCRD’s emergency program, which will involve coordinating with local fire departments, municipalities and agencies and organizations involved in protective services, Treit will oversee training and operations for the fire departments under SCRD’s jurisdiction – Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and Egmont.
“It would be a step up from what I’ve been doing here and a new challenge and it really appealed to me. I’d like to continue to work with volunteer firefighters,” said Treit. “I’ve spent 25 years doing it, I’ve got the utmost respect for them and really enjoy working with them.”
Another new hire – Carolyn Hayman – will assist him. She was hired as corporate safety officer and deputy coordinator for the Sunshine Coast Emergency Program on June 17.
Treit also has 20 years experience as school teacher in Tumbler Ridge, including two years as a vice principal.
He has seven years experience as a paid fire chief, and has a Fire and Safety Studies diploma, a Fire Prevention Officer certificate and a certificate in Emergency Management from the Justice Institute of B.C. He is a fire instructor and holds a bachelor of arts degree from Simon Fraser University and a bachelor of education from UBC.
