The City of Orillia has a new fire chief. Michael Clark, 59, started in the top position on Wednesday.
The Halifax, Nova Scotia native started his firefighting career in Brampton back in 1982. After working through the ranks, culminating in becoming fire chief for 35 years, he retired.
Clark would later come out of retirement to become the fire chief in Owen Sound for over three years.
“When I retired, I never felt I was finished, I feel like I have more to contribute. I just didn’t feel it was time to set everything aside,” Clark said.
“I’m happy to be here in Orillia and to be able to continue contributing to the fire service.”
Clark says he and his wife of 21 years have already fallen in love with Orillia since moving here a couple of weeks ago.
“Orillia has everything we’ve been looking for. We like the old, we like the new, and where we are in town is just outside the downtown but close enough where we can walk to the waterfront,” he said.
“We love everything about the town, and we love our new home here in Orillia.”
Clark has a unique and special connection to Orillia. His fourth great grandfather is Jacob Gill, who was one of the first settlers to Orillia in the 1830s.
“I find it so ironic that I’m now working in a fire station on a street named after his family,” he said.
Clark says his main goal for his tenure with the Orillia Fire Department is to be the best fire chief he can be.
“If I am a good fire chief, I’m going to credit deputy chief and my partner, Chris Ferry, who is a fantastic person. The other person is my administrative assistant, Kendall, who has been exceptional. I have to give them great credit especially for the challenge they had to go through with having the position vacant,” he said.
“I believe in always working as a team. The way I look at being a fire chief is it’s like being a conductor. I don’t play any of the instruments, I just make them all work in harmony. But ultimately, it’s the team that’s going to make me successful or not. So far, I’m very pleased with the people I’ve met here.”
Clark says his first impression of the Orillia Fire Department is it’s a top-drawer organization.
“It’s substantially smaller than what I experienced in Brampton, it’s a little larger than what I experienced in Owen Sound, but the facilities are fantastic, the trucks are in great shape, the equipment is exceptional, and the staff is good as well.”
Over the next several weeks, Clark will spend time familiarizing himself with the city and his staff.
“A lot of things are driven from the bottom up, so I will be spending time with all the staff and asking them what are the things that they see that need to be changed or could be done in a better way. I will let that drive the changes that will come,” he said.
“As for as the city, I’ve been pretty familiar with Orillia for most of my life. We used to come here to visit my grandparents; it’s where they lived until they passed away. It fits my lifestyle perfectly.”
Clark was hired after a recruitment process was initiated after Fire Chief Brent Thomas left to take a similar job in Innisfil and Bradford - a role he took in September. Thomas had joined the Orillia Fire Department as assistant chief in 2014. He became acting chief in 2019 and, later that year, was named chief.
In October, Ferry, a 24-year veteran of fire and emergency services who has been with the Orillia department for 18 years, was named acting chief while the hiring process occurred.
