POWASSAN, Ont. — Powassan has named a new fire chief.
Rob Giesler officially takes over on Sept. 24 when longtime chief Bill Cox retires. The date holds a special significance for Cox because on that day in 1974, he joined the fire department as a volunteer, making him a 50-year firefighter.
Like Cox, Giesler was born and raised in Powassan.
Giesler, now 62, left the community for several years and worked as a manager for the Journey’s End motel chain. However, as the saying goes, “There’s no place like home,” and Giesler returned to Powassan in the late 1980s.
He took on different jobs in the private sector before joining the municipality in 2004. He has been deputy treasurer for the municipality and later arena manager at the Powassan Sportsplex.
Giesler joined the Powassan Fire Department in 1990 in part because his dad was a volunteer firefighter many years earlier. Over the years, Giesler moved up the volunteer ranks, first becoming a training officer and then assuming the dual role of captain and fire prevention officer in 2000.
He was deputy fire chief when talk of Cox retiring began and town council had to consider who would replace the longtime chief. Giesler was a logical choice to fill Cox’s shoes. He has a great deal of knowledge of how the Powassan Fire Department and its sister station the Trout Creek Fire Department operate and he’s worked closely with Cox over the years.
He’s not nervous about taking over.
“I’ve worked with Bill since 1990,” Giesler says. “It’s not like I’m walking into a new place. Also, all the guys know me.”
Giesler says he’s not planning on making “a whole lot of changes. It’s status quo at the fire department.”
The one significant change that will take place is one the local department has no control over — mandatory certification for firefighters. Giesler says the nature of the training for all fire departments has to change so that firefighters are certified by 2026.
He says volunteer firefighting is a rewarding calling for those who sign up because “you’re doing something good for your community and you’re helping to protect it.”
People who live in communities with a volunteer firefighting service should give serious thought to joining because small towns have a hard time finding volunteers, he adds.
Giesler says, fortunately, Powassan doesn’t have that recruiting problem.
“We’re in good shape,” he said.
“We have 12 applicants and some have been waiting two years to join. This fall, we expect to take on six new recruits.”
Giesler says he’s preparing for the future with the recruits. Several of the present volunteers have service years ranging from 15 to 30 years and he knows they will soon want to retire.
He knows he has a new set of faces in their 20s who can step in seamlessly.
Giesler has two adult sons who joined the department recently and they brought along some friends.
Giesler says the department likes to recruit people from all walks of life with different skill sets because that broadens the range of expertise.
The Powassan Fire Department trains once a week, but Giesler might introduce a second training night for the new recruits.
With a complement of 30 firefighters, 18 stationed at the Powassan fire station and the other 12 at the Trout Creek fire house, Geisler says “that’s a lot of firefighters showing up for one session. We’re at the point we have to separate that.”
For the last several weeks Giesler has been doing a lot of paperwork as the interim fire chief. The chief’s position is the only paid position at the fire department. As he gets ready to occupy the chief’s chair, he was asked how long he plans to stick around.
“It won’t be as long as Bill,” laughed Giesler. “I would give it about five years.”
Cox turned 75 this year.
This past May, the municipality and fire department held a public ceremony recognizing Cox’s half century contribution to his community.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
