Coquitlam has a new fire chief.
And the city didn’t have to look far to replace Jim Ogloff.
This morning, March 8, Ogloff — now the general manager for community safety with the City of Coquitlam — announced deputy chief Scott Young will take over the top departmental role starting Monday, March 11.
A father of five, a former pastor, a past school district trustee candidate, and nonprofit and community leader, Young has served with Coquitlam Fire/Rescue for more than 25 years as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief of operations and, since 2020, deputy chief of operations.
“Scott has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities throughout his career in fire/rescue and through community volunteering, including advancing key initiatives in critical incident stress management, peer support and serving as our first department chaplain,” Ogloff told the Tri-City News.
“His care and compassion for the workforce and values-based approach to decision-making are some of Scott’s attributes that position him well to take the next step in leading Coquitlam Fire/Rescue.”
Young was unavailable for an interview; however, according to his social media post, he wrote he is privileged to have worked “alongside women and men who are changing our cultural ideas around mental health, trauma and operational stress injuries.”
In 2015, the Sarnia, Ont., native campaigned for a school trustee seat in Mission, where he previously lived before moving to Coquitlam.
The fire chief position in Coquitlam pays between $207,500 and $242,753.
Coquitlam’s leadership shift in its fire/rescue ranks comes as Port Coquitlam also changes its fire chief next week.
Blake Clarkson will take over from Chief Robert Kipps, who is retiring after 35 years of service with PoCo’s Fire and Emergency Services Department.
A Pitt Meadows resident and assistant hockey coach, Clarkson is currently the deputy fire chief of administration and support and has 18 years of service.
Meanwhile, Coquitlam RCMP, which serves Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore, Belcarra and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation, is recruiting for a new police chief after Supt. Keith Bramhill transferred to BC RCMP's E-Division headquarters.
