CANMORE – For Lance Bushie, the new fire chief in Canmore, the community was a dream location for him to work.
Hired in March, the more than 30-year firefighting veteran has seen it as a great experience.
“It has been four months now and I am really enjoying it,” Bushie said. “I am quite happy to be here. Great staff, great firefighters, huge amount of experience. I am pretty lucky to be here.”
Bushie’s firefighter career began in 1989 in Peace River, where his father was a Mountie and the fire department was looking for new recruits.
“It was one of the first things that hit my radar,” he said. “They were recruiting. I went down there and 32 years later, here I am.”
Since that time, the fire departments Bushie has worked in have evolved quite a bit.
“A lot more based on training, training standards, equipment standard,” Bushie said. “Hazards have increased over the years.”
After Peace River, where he eventually became the Regional Fire Chief, Bushie moved to Okotoks in 2016 to become the High River fire chief.
His experiences in those communities are now helping him with his new role in Canmore. The size of the Canmore fire department is something that he is used to, which he feels is a good fit for him.
“In Peace River, we went through the same evolution as Canmore. We had ambulance and everyone was cross-trained,” Bushie said. “Same but different in that Canmore is unique in it being a destination. Calls peak in the summer and the uniqueness of being in the valley. Same sort of staffing model as in High River. Each unique in their own way but have similarities that I am comfortable with.”
Choosing Canmore as his next stop on his firefighting journey, Bushie had many reasons to come here.
“I love the outdoors, being in the mountains,” he said. “Canmore fire has a great reputation around the province. It has those things I am really interested in.”
Bushie took over for Walter Gahler, who retired in January following a 35-year career. One of the first major responsibilities was Canmore Fire-Rescue’s involvement in the Georgetown Exercise in June. The massive exercise – the largest in Canmore in two decades – involved more than a dozen emergency services and more than 100 people involved. Work has also started on the new fire hall in the area of the Palliser and Benchlands trails intersection and is scheduled to open in 2023.
As with so many others looking to work in Canmore, one of the biggest challenges for Bushie was finding a place – a process that took several months.
“Took three months to secure a place in town, but I am pretty happy that I found what I did,” Bushie said. “It is a bit of a challenge but that comes with coming to Canmore.”
Looking ahead, Bushie wants to bring his passion for leadership to his role as the Canmore fire chief.
“Got lots of different programs, there is growth in the department,” Bushie said. “We got the potential for a good look at the staffing model and making recommendations on that. There are lots of different projects that are exciting for me moving forward with.”
