Stavely fire department welcomes new chief

By Rob Vogt
The Stavely Fire Department has a new fire chief, who brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role.
Ben Blakeley was officially appointed chief on March 19 by Stavely town council, but has been a member of the department for five years.
Born in Montreal, Blakeley moved to Calgary where he earned experience in a variety of fields.
He has 29 years in emergency response; firefighting; investigation and more.
Among his jobs, he worked 17 years for WestJet as a cabin crew member; and worked for the coroner’s office.
The last four years he has been instructing for St. John’s Ambulance.
“It’s kind of nice to have a diverse background,” Blakeley said.
He has also received all the
firefighting training from start to finish.
Moreover, he has worked with the members of the department, and sees what everyone brings to the table, which will really help him as chief.
Moving forward, he understands the role of all fire departments continues to evolve and is becoming more and more complicated.
Consequently, Blakeley wants to continue bringing training and
organization to the next level.
He also wants the department to be involved in the community, as it has been in the past.