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Hepditch named chief in Waterloo

The city said in a news release
Monday that Hepditch, a 17-year veteran of Waterloo Fire Rescue, has held
numerous roles including first acting captain, community emergency management
co-ordinator, and most recently deputy fire chief responsible for support
services.

“Within his deputy role, Hepditch has
provided corporate and strategic leadership to the divisions of fire
prevention, public education, mechanical and emergency management,” the release
said.

“He has been responsible for the
planning, implementation and monitoring of the master fire plan and Waterloo’s
adoption of Ontario’s incident management system.”

Before joining Waterloo Fire Rescue,
Hepditch was a primary-care paramedic for Region of Waterloo ambulance
services.

Hepditch is a lead instructor for
Dalhousie University’s fire-service leadership program and he has taught for
more than 10 years within Conestoga College’s pre-service firefighter education
and training program, the release said.

Hepditch sits on the Region of
Waterloo’s consolidated dispatch executive committee, voice radio executive
committee, and emergency preparedness committee. He is a member of the
children’s safety village governing committee, and is a founding member and
co-chair of Waterloo’s Real Men Can Cook charity event. Hepditch was recognized
as one of Waterloo Region Record’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2010 and received
Conestoga College’s alumni of distinction award in 2011.

Hepditch will complete his master of
arts degree in disaster and emergency management from Royal Roads University’s
school of peace and conflict management in 2015. He also holds certificates
from Conestoga College, Dalhousie University, and the Canadian Labour Congress
and has completed courses through Wilfrid Laurier University and Ryerson
University’s Ontario Fire College.

Hepditch begins his new role today.

Quan will continue to write his
Cornerstone column for Fire Fighting in
Canada, and Leadership Forum with Les Karpluk.