Belleville’s fire chief has set a retirement date.
After seven years at the helm, Chief Mark MacDonald has announced he will be retiring from the role in March 2021.
MacDonald joined the city’s senior staff in May 2013 and has also served as a member of the city’s Executive Management team.
Belleville’s CAO Rod Bovay says the Executive Management team will miss his insight and expertise. They wish him the very best in this next chapter and extend their appreciation for all he has contributed while serving the City of Belleville.
Chief MacDonald has extensive experience working with both volunteer and career firefighters and progressed through the ranks, initially as a suppression firefighter, to his current position.
He was promoted to the Deputy Fire Chief position in January 2012 and appointed as the Acting Director of Fire and Emergency Services/Fire Chief in December the same year.
As the Acting Fire Chief, he led the department through a major fire at the Quinte Hotel and initiated an Operational Review of the fire department to maximize efficiencies.
As Chief, his responsibilities include fire suppression, fire prevention, fire services training and emergency planning.
In his role as Fire Chief, MacDonald leads the city’s Emergency Control Group, a multi-disciplinary group of professionals working together to manage emergencies in the City of Belleville. The flood in the spring of 2014 was one such emergency, with high water levels continuing to be an ongoing issue throughout the past few years.
In addition to his responsibilities of leading the city’s Fire and Emergency Services team, his portfolio has encompassed many other initiatives including the development and construction of new fire stations, as well as the headquarters on Bettes Street, and two volunteer stations, one on Old Highway 2 and the other in Plainfield.
In November 2018, he was elected to the Board of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs at their 66th Annual General Meeting.
His future plans include assisting smaller municipalities with their Emergency Response efforts.
