Rankin's man at the top
Chief looks to create organized, professional fire department
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
RANKIN INLET
The Rankin Inlet Volunteer Fire Department has a new man on the top rung of its ladder.
Mark Wyatt brings strong organizational skills to his new position as fire chief in Rankin Inlet. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
Mark Wyatt, 56, has been involved with fire services for the past 13 years.
Wyatt spent the majority of his career in Salt Spring Island, B.C., and made a stop in Hinton, Alta., before accepting the fire chief's position in Rankin.
He worked his way up to captain from a volunteer firefighter in Salt Spring Island before being chief in Hinton.
Wyatt's first day on the job in Rankin was Nov. 23.
He said he found the Rankin position online during a time in his life when he was looking for something a little more challenging.
"Salt Spring Island is like the polar opposite of Hinton, because it almost never snows there and people start complaining about the cold if it drops to 0 C," said Wyatt.
"Summer starts in late January or early February, flowers start popping up and it's green all year long.
"I'd never lived in the Arctic, and I was looking for an area that would be both a life experience and a place where I could make a positive impact on the community as fire chief, so that's the main reason why I picked Rankin.
"I can have a good impact on the community here, and make a big difference in this fire department, while the community can also have a big impact on me."
Wyatt said he met a lot of amazing people during his first week in Rankin.
He said everyone he's met has been warm, welcoming and friendly.
"There's great people in this department who are very dedicated to the community.
"We're a lot busier than what I thought we'd be. We did about 20 calls, mostly ambulance, during my first two weeks in Rankin.
"That's a pretty busy little fire department."
Wyatt said the Rankin department is in need of better organizing.
He said people in the department want to learn, so there's a lot more training that needs to be done.
"We're going to transform this department into something the community can be very proud of. Patience is a virtue, as far as I'm concerned, and it's one of my biggest strengths along with being very well organized. Outside of the fire service, I ran my own business for 20-some years producing large scale special events pretty much all over the world.
"I consider myself very structured, and I bring a business sense to the fire service that really bodes well for every community I've worked in so far."
Wyatt said people in Rankin will soon notice the fire department has become more organized and professional.
He said workers will look professional responding to calls in uniforms and jackets.
"Rankin's firefighters are dedicated but people will notice they've also become more motivated. We have one good truck and one that definitely needs to be replaced.
"It's 24 years old and beyond its life-expectancy -not something I'd really want to depend on in terms of being a first-line engine - so we're going to have to look at replacing it at some point.
"Our ambulance is pretty new and we're certainly prepared to deal with most emergencies at this point."
