Skip to content

Maple Ridge assistant fire chief ‘hitting the road’ in retirement

Mark Smitton’s replacement has yet to be announced
11906263_web1_180517-MRN-M-Smittonc-1
Assistant fire chief Mark Smitton will be retiring at the end of the month. His replacement has yet to be announced. (Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS)

Mark Smitton will be stepping down as assistant fire chief with Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue after 19 years in that post, and 35 with the department altogether.

It’s just the right time to go, he said.

Smitton wants to travel and see where the road takes him.

He moved to the community when he was 12 years-old and has spent his working life here, starting out at the Whonnock Shake Mill, then the Pacific Marine Training Centre before it became the Justice Institute. He joined the fire department as a volunteer in January 1983.

“When I worked down at the mill, we had small fires and things like that and the hydraulic system was connected, so we were washing down in the summer time, mitigating stuff,” said Smitton.

Becoming a firefighter was a natural fit.

He became assistant fire chief in May 1999.

“Back then, it was a joint fire and bylaws job. I was basically the afternoon and early evening. I handled bylaw issues as well as fire stuff,” said Smitton, whose original title was community safety officer.

Smitton would respond to bylaw, parking and general noise complaints.

In addition, he sat on the executive of the Fire Prevention Officers’ Association of B.C. and was its president for two years.

What Smitton loved most about the assistant chief job was getting out in the community and meeting people.

“I was doing inspections, so you get to talk to all the business owners and apartment managers. It’s a lot of walking around talking to people and finding out what’s going on and making their places safe.”

Over the past 35 years, Smitton has seen the department evolve with the growth of the city.

“When I started, we had about 350 calls a year. That grew to 800. That grew to 1,100. And then now we’re over 4,500,” said Smitton.

“Pretty much if everybody has a problem, unless they need police, they call the fire department to solve their problem,” he added.

“You start the day with what am I going to do, ‘I am going to try to do this,’ but six other things pop up.”

The most difficult part of the job for Smitton was investigating the aftermath of fires because the investigation itself is a complex process and takes time.

Ultimately, though, Smitton has enjoyed helping people in the community.

“You are there to make their life better. Even though it is the worst day in their life, you are still there to help make their day better. Their house might be burning down, but we’re there to help them more forward and help them get past that,” said Smitton.

His last day will be May 31, when there will be a send-off party and he will be escorted out of Fire Hall No. 1.

“Everyone says, what are you going to do? Well, I don’t know. I’ll figure that out.”

Smitton is looking forward to spending time with his family, although his twin children are now grown, and travel across the United States in an RV.

“Right now in my life, the kids are older, it’s time to travel. I don’t want to be too old. I think it’s time to take what you’ve got,” he said.

His replacement has yet to be announced.



Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
Read more