Municipality without ‘overall’ chief even after Chris Foster tried to recind resignation letter
Lakeland Ridges Municipal Council has accepted the resignation letter of the Overall Fire Chief, Chris Foster.
“I made the decision to resign based on a lack of communication between the new administration and myself, along with several other extenuating factors,” said Foster.
Foster’s father, Leonard, was the former mayor of the municipality and was unsuccessful in his bid for a second term in the May 2026 municipal election.
Chief Foster, who serves on the Debec Fire Department, submitted his resignation in writing at the end of May and gave 30 days’ notice. However, after discussing the issue with friends, family, and former council members, he changed his mind.
“I rescinded the resignation before the 30 days expired and indicated in writing I was ready, willing and able to continue in my role,” said Foster.
Foster said he didn’t hear back from the council; municipal leaders accepted his resignation at their June 29 meeting.
Despite Foster’s change of heart, he said the lack of communication made it impossible for him to do his job. According to him, the success of the position depends on maintaining open dialogue between the fire stations and municipal leaders.
The municipality is served by departments in Debec, Meductic, Canterbury, and North Lake.
“My role was responsible for bridging the gap between the (four) stations and the administration, but without open dialogue, that is not possible.”
He went on to say that despite the many challenges the municipality has faced, he feels the regional fire service was moving forward in bringing the teams together to work as one unit.
Foster also addressed the comments made during the Monday council session regarding the department’s purchase of wildland protective clothing, which he says has been misrepresented.
“The memo created significant uncertainty, prompting extensive discussions with the OFM, the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development (DNRED), and WorkSafeNB, the authority having jurisdiction for workplace safety,” said Foster
“Following a complete inventory of PPE across all four Lakeland Ridges fire stations, it was determined that none of the existing wildland gear met the required certification and labelling standards identified by WorkSafeNB under former NFPA 1977 and current 1950.”
The council had received presentations and updates before approving the purchase of gear.
Foster says WorkSafeNB later issued a final interpretation confirming the department’s assessment, which was shared with municipal leaders before the latest council meeting.
“During Monday’s discussion, it was stated that council had only received information from the OFM (Office of the Fire Marshal) and that some existing gear may have met the required standard. Neither statement is accurate. Council had also received WorkSafeNB’s interpretation and the department’s inventory,” said Foster.
Council discussions on Monday night centred on whether council was putting people at risk by failing to replace everything immediately.
Councillor Barb Glanville, who has completed the Firefighter Level One course, asked Mayor Greg Grant to clarify the risk.
It was noted that, according to the memo from the Fire Marshal’s office, equipment that is not expired but does not meet the correct standard can be used and replaced once it expires, until the funds are available to replace the gear.
Newly elected councillor Rhonda Alward expressed her concerns over the situation.
“I just wanted to make a comment,” she told fellow councillors. “Going forward… hopefully this is a lesson learned, because we didn’t get all the information. We didn’t talk to the overall fire chief to understand the Workers’ Comp [WorksafeNB] impact on this.”
–––with files from Theresa Blackburn
