Editorial – It appears by all accounts Alnwick Haldimand Township hasn’t just gone one step backwards, they literally fell off the ladder after firing Fire Chief Mark Diminie.
Diminie had been with the Department for just over two years.
His background was perfect for the position having spent 30-years as a member of the Cobourg Fire Department and retiring as Captain.
Along with that, he was President of the Local Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association for approximately 15-years while with the Cobourg Fire Service.
Diminie knows the fire service as management and as a association member.
Simply put. There couldn’t be someone better suited for the position.
What happened? Was there a falling out between Council and the former Fire Chief?
In an e-mail to all Alnwick/Haldimand Township firefighters Diminie explained it best in the first line.
“They got me!!!”
Diminie said he the Township decided to “relieve me of my duties.”
In other words, he was fired.
But was it because of the men and women of the fire service disliked him? Couldn’t stand him? Was he to hard to work for?
Nope.
“He has been the most respected Fire Chief we have ever had,” said one firefighter adding it was no disrespect to the other Chiefs.
Another said he was well liked by everyone.
Diminie stated in his e-mail the problem seemed to be with a few of the upper tier people of the Township.
The latest and apparently last straw was when the Township scolded him for not being the liaison for the Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Fighter’s Association and the Township.
Diminie stated the Memorandum of Understanding should be between Township Council, and the Association, not the Fire Chief.
In a Council Report dated December 3, 2020 Diminie had recommended the Township confirm a order for a replacement fire apparatus that was damaged beyond repair from a fire inside the Grafton Firehall earlier in the year.
Although it is the accepted practice in the fire service to replace the vehicle without a Request for Proposal, because there is no cost to the taxpayer as the insurance would cover the cost, Council went against Diminie’s recommendation and asked that a RFP be created.
Diminie’s Council Report stated within two weeks (at the time) Acting CAO Troy Gilmour was asking if the RFP had been completed.
Diminie stated, he had been working with the original maker of the apparatus to update the specifications for the new firetruck.
But since Council decided for the RFP, it was a case of starting from the beginning which would take more time.
“Putting a tender/RFP together for a $435,000 vehicle takes time. The tender/RFP is the frame work the design and the way the vehicle is going to be built. If I don’t do the RFP/tender properly in the beginning it will only create problems and delays down the road,” said Diminie in his report.
Cobourg Fire Department was going through a similar process with a Committee of four, where he was doing it alone. The questions starting just two weeks after the decision seemed out of touch with what could be expected of anyone.
“I’m sorry Council doesn’t agree with this taking the time it is. However, that doesn’t mean I am going to rush through something as important and complex as this project is.”
He’s right. How could anyone, more importantly, why would anyone rush through something as important as a piece of fire apparatus totaling nearly $450,000.
Diminie knows what he’s talking about. He may not use pretty words, but what he says stands on his own merit.
Council likely would have been better conversing with him, instead of apparently finding a reason to turf him.
As a photojournalist who grew up a firefighter’s son, I’ve known Diminie for the entire time he has been a firefighter.
He’s always been professional and is very well respected amongst firefighters in Northumberland County and beyond.
More importantly, he knows what he’s talking about.
You may not like what he says, but what he says is always based on fact – and he backs it up.
So if Council was looking for a “yes man” they got it wrong right from the start.
There will be tough boots to fill with the next incoming Fire Chief – if they can find one.
Time will tell if it will be a “yes man” or someone that will stand up to Council for all the right reasons.
https://alnwickhaldimand.civicweb.net/FileStorage/97801C7776984FEF84DC66FE5E2DB127-Staff%20Report%2020-11-001.docx
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
