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Ottawa fire Chief Gerry Pingitore has seen numerous progressive changes to the fire service over the past 40 years. Now, at the end of his career, he’s proud to say he’s helped push many of them forward.
“There was a time when the fire service looked after its equipment better than they looked after its people,” he said.
Pingitore, 60, has had a long career, and is praised by many on his staff as a key player in making Ottawa’s fire service healthier to work in, both mentally and physically. This week, his staff had heavy hearts when he hung up his fire helmet for the last time.
“Pingitore is a great chief,” said interim fire Chief Kim Ayotte. “He’s very caring and compassionate, and he often speaks from the heart. He’s a leader by example … and is respected by everyone he works with.”
Pingitore began firefighting nearly four decades ago in west Montreal, before moving to Ottawa in 1979. He spent the next 22 years climbing the ranks of the service in Barrhaven until the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton amalgamated to form the City of Ottawa, in 2001.
Farewell&retirement messages are never easy. I offer my thanks to the men&women w/ whom I have collaborated, debated&championed over the years. It is w/ gratitude that I thank staff @OttFire for their continued dedication to protecting our Nation’s Capital w/ Pride #proudchief pic.twitter.com/krqnxjcrMp
— Gerry Pingitore (@ChiefPingitore) April 23, 2018
When the fire departments were brought together, Pingitore was appointed as one of the rural sector chiefs. He began a year as assistant deputy chief, in 2011, and was appointed one of three deputy chiefs thereafter. When his predecessor, John de Hooge, retired, he assumed the acting chief’s role.
During his nearly three-year career as chief, Pingitore said he’s fostered “a number of accomplishments,” including an increase in mental health resources for firefighters dealing with traumatic situations.
“There was no conversation (on mental health) before. It was, ‘I’m a tough firefighter, I can take anything.’ They’d take that home with them, and if they didn’t have the support at home, that would just build and build … sometimes into PTSD,” he said.
To decrease the stigma around mental health issues, Pingitore initiated a fire leadership team, and with professional guidance created a peer-to-peer support system that was lauded by his staff. He said it’s a way for firefighters to talk with each other if they’re feeling mentally distressed.
“We’ve found that firefighters would rather talk to other firefighters. This way they’re talking to people who are like-minded, and have experiences in similar situations,” he said.
Pingitore also drove the forefront of a more diverse service. He said it’s been a slow-moving process, but the service is changing to better reflect the community, and now has three female firefighters in a class of 24. “It’s important to reach out and get [women] thinking about what they can be,” he said.
Through its continued participation in Pride parades, and its presence in community events, he said he hopes the service has shown itself to be an inclusive and welcoming employer.
But in the push for a progressive workplace, Pingitore said “it’s hard to build a legacy that honours the rich history of the service while also moving [Ottawa’s] organization forward.”
While he wouldn’t comment on who the new chief might be, he forecasts challenges ahead in keeping up with the service’s “ever-changing technologies,” including a brand new automatic vehicle re-routing system to be installed in fire trucks.
He also mentioned budgetary concerns.
“All fire services are facing some more challenges with budgets,” he said, “but our mission will always continue to be to protect lives, property and the environment for the residents of the City of Ottawa.” He feels confident the service will be a solid organization with robust leaders into the future.
Now, as he’s about to step into retirement, Pingitore said it’s time to wind down from the stress of caring for a “family of 1,500 firefighters,” and focus instead on his own family – being a husband, father, and now grandfather. He joked that the hardest decision he’ll have to make is whether to go fishing in the morning or the afternoon.
Even so, Pingitore said he’ll always be thinking about the Ottawa Fire Service.
“The privilege and honour to serve you and our community will always be one of my greatest accomplishments.”
avanderzwan@postmedia.com
@adamvanderzwan
查看原文...
“There was a time when the fire service looked after its equipment better than they looked after its people,” he said.
Pingitore, 60, has had a long career, and is praised by many on his staff as a key player in making Ottawa’s fire service healthier to work in, both mentally and physically. This week, his staff had heavy hearts when he hung up his fire helmet for the last time.
“Pingitore is a great chief,” said interim fire Chief Kim Ayotte. “He’s very caring and compassionate, and he often speaks from the heart. He’s a leader by example … and is respected by everyone he works with.”
Pingitore began firefighting nearly four decades ago in west Montreal, before moving to Ottawa in 1979. He spent the next 22 years climbing the ranks of the service in Barrhaven until the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton amalgamated to form the City of Ottawa, in 2001.
Farewell&retirement messages are never easy. I offer my thanks to the men&women w/ whom I have collaborated, debated&championed over the years. It is w/ gratitude that I thank staff @OttFire for their continued dedication to protecting our Nation’s Capital w/ Pride #proudchief pic.twitter.com/krqnxjcrMp
— Gerry Pingitore (@ChiefPingitore) April 23, 2018
When the fire departments were brought together, Pingitore was appointed as one of the rural sector chiefs. He began a year as assistant deputy chief, in 2011, and was appointed one of three deputy chiefs thereafter. When his predecessor, John de Hooge, retired, he assumed the acting chief’s role.
During his nearly three-year career as chief, Pingitore said he’s fostered “a number of accomplishments,” including an increase in mental health resources for firefighters dealing with traumatic situations.
“There was no conversation (on mental health) before. It was, ‘I’m a tough firefighter, I can take anything.’ They’d take that home with them, and if they didn’t have the support at home, that would just build and build … sometimes into PTSD,” he said.
To decrease the stigma around mental health issues, Pingitore initiated a fire leadership team, and with professional guidance created a peer-to-peer support system that was lauded by his staff. He said it’s a way for firefighters to talk with each other if they’re feeling mentally distressed.
“We’ve found that firefighters would rather talk to other firefighters. This way they’re talking to people who are like-minded, and have experiences in similar situations,” he said.
Pingitore also drove the forefront of a more diverse service. He said it’s been a slow-moving process, but the service is changing to better reflect the community, and now has three female firefighters in a class of 24. “It’s important to reach out and get [women] thinking about what they can be,” he said.
Through its continued participation in Pride parades, and its presence in community events, he said he hopes the service has shown itself to be an inclusive and welcoming employer.
But in the push for a progressive workplace, Pingitore said “it’s hard to build a legacy that honours the rich history of the service while also moving [Ottawa’s] organization forward.”
While he wouldn’t comment on who the new chief might be, he forecasts challenges ahead in keeping up with the service’s “ever-changing technologies,” including a brand new automatic vehicle re-routing system to be installed in fire trucks.
He also mentioned budgetary concerns.
“All fire services are facing some more challenges with budgets,” he said, “but our mission will always continue to be to protect lives, property and the environment for the residents of the City of Ottawa.” He feels confident the service will be a solid organization with robust leaders into the future.
Now, as he’s about to step into retirement, Pingitore said it’s time to wind down from the stress of caring for a “family of 1,500 firefighters,” and focus instead on his own family – being a husband, father, and now grandfather. He joked that the hardest decision he’ll have to make is whether to go fishing in the morning or the afternoon.
Even so, Pingitore said he’ll always be thinking about the Ottawa Fire Service.
“The privilege and honour to serve you and our community will always be one of my greatest accomplishments.”
avanderzwan@postmedia.com
@adamvanderzwan
查看原文...
