As the January retirement of Saanich Fire Chief Michael Burgess approaches, looking back on his years fighting fires takes him back to his 20s.
Burgess was working in the meat packing industry at the time, but was exploring other options.
“My grandfather actually worked for the Workers Compensation Board … He said, ‘Hey, have you ever thought about the fire service type, you know, take a look … I thought, ‘Yeah, this is pretty cool,” said Burgess.
Burgess said his father encouraged him to reach out to then-chief David Hill, who laid out the requirements and desirable qualifications.
“So I went through that process and was placed in the hiring pool. And then from there, very quickly after being placed in that pool, I was phoned by Chief Hill and offered a job and started Nov. 1 in 1989,” said Burgess.
He spent his first 15 years working as a fire suppression firefighter tending to fires, emergency calls, medical incidents and severe weather events. In 2010, he was promoted to fire chief.
“I just can’t say enough about how great of an employer Saanich has been. Saanich is really second to none,” said Burgess.
He says the role has evolved considerably over the years through changes in legislation and regulations that impact the fire service, such as the Emergency Management Act.
Some of the things he is most proud of during his 34 years in the department and 13 years as chief are the establishment of the Master Fire Plan that seeks to improve and further develop resources and equipment for the department. He is also one of the founding members of the Saanich Firefighters Charitable Foundation, which fundraisers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, the Firefighters Burn Fund, the Greater Victoria Hospital Society and numerous other charitable endeavors.
“We’re building a new fire station at Royal Oak, we’re very proud of that, and it is very much needed,” said Burgess. “We increasing the number of women firefighters into the fire service in 2008, and Saanich has probably one of the higher per-capita numbers of female firefighters in the province.”
With such a long decorated career under his belt, there is a lot to be proud of, but Burgess said even while he is on his way out, he remains diligent in contributing to the technologies that the department is fine-tuning, such as E-comm 911 services.
Regarding the increase in medical calls that firefighters are responding to, he said the government should increase its part to help alleviate the costs.
“I think that the province can do more, and I think that local government elected officials are continuing to advocate and sort of pursue that because it’s something that is a burden on the taxpayers within the community through the resources that are being used for services,” said Burgess.
He added that the costs are not the responsibility of the local governments but rather the province under the Health Emergency Act.
Potential improvements aside, the new fire station is one accomplishment that he won’t get to see take shape but was happy to have a part in.
“I’m going out the door, but super-pleased to be the chief that sort of moved through the process and gotten the approvals, and, you know, I’ll be watching.”
Although he said he’ll miss wearing the uniform and serving the community in the way he did for so long, Burgess said he is ready to retire and pass the buck to the next in line. With that, his advice for the next chief is to “go slow” and be mindful of what the community needs, as well as your fellow firefighters.
As for retirement plans, Burgess says he plans to transition back to citizen mode and watch the department that he loves so much flourish from a distance. He will always be a pillar in the community due to his many years of altruistic service.