Jan 24, 2010 - 04:30 AM

By Reka Szekely

AJAX -- After serving residents for 30 years, Ajax's fire chief is ready to retire.

Randy Wilson, 58, will hang up his cap at the end of June.

"I am very proud to have served as the fire chief for the Town of Ajax for the past 14 years," he said.

He began his firefighting career in 1977 as a volunteer after his family moved to Pickering Village. Back then, he was in the advertising business, but he took to firefighting right away.

"It was one of those things, I knew from the first moment I liked it."

He became a full-time firefighter in Ajax in 1979.

"Everybody questioned my thought process of leaving the advertising business for the fire department because it was a substantial pay cut," said Chief Wilson, laughing a little as he recalled the memory.

He would go on to try a little bit of everything within the department including fire prevention, fire suppression, training and administration. In 1996, he became chief of Ajax Fire and Emergency Services.

"I was scared to death, it was a such a new experience for me, I didn't know what to expect," he said.

At the time, the department had 55 employees. That has almost doubled to 102 on Chief Wilson's watch. During his tenure as chief, his goal was to keep up with staffing and equipment for the department as Ajax's population grew rapidly.

It became apparent that the fire department's headquarters on Monarch Avenue wouldn't be adequate for the increasingly large department.

"We knew as the development happened, most of it was going to be to north and we knew we had to plan for a fire station in the north," said Chief Wilson.

The new headquarters opened on Salem Road, south of Rossland Road, in 2008.

Chief Wilson said he's always been supported by the mayor and council, Ajax staff, the Town's chief administrative officers and the Town's senior management committee.

"I'm envied by a lot of fire chiefs in Ontario," he said, adding that if he could answer the tough questions, the funding was always there.

"That's one of the things that's made my decision so difficult ... this has been such a wonderful organization to work for, never once in my career did I consider leaving."

However, Chief Wilson said he feels the fire department is at a high right now and as the organization comes to the end of its current master plan, now is the time to retire. His successor will be involved in creating the department's next master plan which will carry Fire and Emergency Services through the coming years.

Thinking back to the changes over the years, Chief Wilson said there's better equipment, training for more complex situations, such as dealing with hazardous materials, and more knowledge of the dangers of the job.

"We're much more aware of looking after ourselves now. When I started, not everybody would wear their breathing apparatus."

The level of cooperation among Durham Region fire departments has also increased; in fact, Chief Wilson currently serves as the Durham Region fire coordinator.

"One of the frustrating things I'll walk out the door with is why don't a lot of people have working smoke alarms?"

Chief Wilson points out the devices are very affordable now and they make a big difference in detecting fires early, allowing a call for help and minimizing injuries and damage.

"One of the things that really hurts is the loss of life, the loss of property, but there's a good side of it too, a lot of the calls you go to, you get to help people," he said, pointing out that the department often responds to medical calls, car accidents and numerous other emergencies in addition to fires.

And after decades of sleeping with a pager next to his bed, Chief Wilson said he's not to sure how he's going to spend his retirement. Still an Ajax resident, he's looking forward to spending more time with his four grandsons and relaxing with his wife Rhonda, a retired teacher.

"We've been together many years and she's still my best friend."