Get your resumes ready, because the Township of Lake of Bays is looking for a new fire chief.
Here’s what you need to know
- During the Sept. 9 council meeting, the township approved the recruitment of a full-time director of emergency services and fire chief for the township.
- The township announced on July 28 that they would be establishing their own fire department, and the agreement termination was decided on during a closed session in June 2025.
- The Township of Lake of Bays entered a joint agreement with the Town of Huntsville on Aug. 22, 2012, to share fire services administration, oversight and operations.
- Currently, the township is in the 18-month transition period which will allow them to tailor the fire services to the township’s own needs.
- To make the transition easier, the township has approved the recruitment of a director of emergency services/fire chief who will be responsible for transferring the administrative fire services without disrupting the fire services itself.
- Alongside the transition, the incoming fire chief will be asked to review the Lake of Bays Fire Master Plan to “provide clear direction on service levels and funding models moving forward.”
- According to the report, the draft 2026 budget will also include a deputy fire chief and administrative co-ordinator, along with other positions. Recruitment of these positions will begin in the second half of the 2026 fiscal year.
- According to Huntsville and Lake of Bays Fire Chief Gary Monahan, the training for all new recruits will likely still be handled together with Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Muskoka Lakes and Georgian Bay.