Special Areas has appointed a new fire chief to succeed retiring fire chief Glen Durand.
Rob Palmer, Deputy Fire Chief since 2015, will formally move into the role of Special Areas Fire Chief on July 16 with Durand’s retirement. Currently, Palmer is serving as Acting Fire Chief during this transition period. He is excited to be able to keep serving the public and to support local fire departments in delivering the best possible emergency and fire services.
“There is nothing more rewarding than watching new firefighters learn and grow into skilled members of their departments. They are the backbone of Special Areas fire services, and my role as Fire Chief with the Special Areas is to give them the support they need,” said Palmer.
Palmer’s focus in the new role is to make sure fire departments and firefighters have the tools and training they need to be successful to respond to ever-changing types of incidents.
Special Areas Fire Chief Glen Durand is retiring effective July 15 after more than forty years of service. Glen first began his career at Special Areas back in 1982 and moved into the Fire Chief role in 2006 with the retirement of Brian Krieser.
“Glen’s dedication to supporting local volunteer-based firefighting in the Special Areas has resulted in a transformation of our regional fire services. Glen’s impact on the Special Areas will continue to shape our fire and emergency services for years to come,” said Owen Francis, Director of Municipal Services & Emergency Management.

Carbon residents have gone back to the Minister of Municipal Affairs with another petition.
The Mail reported in its April 29 edition a petition that was filed by residents of Carbon to remove the CAO Vanessa Van der Meer, was insufficient.
Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver stated in his correspondence, “The petition submitted requests the removal of the village CAO, an action for which I cannot be petitioned. Municipal CAO appointments, suspensions, and revocations are council responsibilities under the Municipal Government Act, and it would be inappropriate for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to intervene.”
Undeterred, another petition was sent to the Minister. A letter from Assistant Deputy Minister Garry Sandberg stated the Minister’s office received the petitions on April 27, 2022, requesting an inspection of the Village of Carbon.
A Ministerial Order was made appointing Dee Deveau of Municipal Officers to carry out the duties of a chief administrative officer with respect to the petition.
She has 45 days from the date the petition was received to report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs on the sufficiency of the petition.
The petition was submitted by Carbon resident Alanna Cunningham.
The Mail reached out, however, she refused to make a comment.