From volunteer to chief in the Kennebecasis Valley

The new chief of the Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department started at the bottom of the ladder and climbed all the way to the top.

Shawn White joined what was then the Rothesay Regional Fire Department back in 1998.

He started as a volunteer firefighter and was promoted to a holiday relief firefighter in 2002.

“From there I went full-time in 2004 and was promoted to a senior firefighter a few years later,” he said.

He continued up through the ranks, becoming deputy chief four years ago under Mike Boyle.

“I managed to work my way up through pretty much every rank in the department which is kind of nice,” White said. “It allows me to really see what each position actually does and it gives me a better appreciation for all the different jobs in the department.”

White said when he began his firefighting career, his goal was to reach this pinnacle.

“I’m fortunate to be here at this time,” he said. “I’ve worked pretty hard throughout my career to continue with my education and things like that to help get me prepared for this job.”

White said he’d always been interested in emergency services.

“I originally thought out of high school that I might want to become a police officer,” he said.

But a friend’s father was a fire chief.

“I was around him growing up and seeing what the fire department did, and I was really excited about it,” White said.

He said joining as a volunteer revealed how rewarding the job could be.

“Being able to help people in your community,” he said. “This is where I live and where my family lives. It just made sense for me to continue on with that.”

Looking ahead to the job, White said the demand for the service is on the rise, as is the complexity of calls.

“We’re finding that there’s more challenging calls,” he said. “You know the tech, the construction has changed throughout the years which makes firefighting a little bit different than it would have been, say, 20 years ago.”

In addition to his duties as chief, White is now the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) director for the Kennebecasis Valley.

“There’s definitely a great foundation that’s put in place by my predecessor,” White said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to build on that foundation and it’s going to be a fun process.”

Ultimately, White wants to continue to build and strengthen the foundation of the department, supporting the people who make it all work.