Erin Haluschak
Record staff
In a ceremony last week, Comox Fire Rescue dedicated its new duty officer vehicle – the most commonly used vehicle in the CFR fleet – to Capt. Stewart Rennie, a 22-year member of the department who passed away two years ago.
Chief Gord Schreiner said Rennie joined the department in April 1991 and served as a firefighter, driver, captain and chairperson.
“He provided great leadership in his role as captain and chairperson and was a good mentor to many. Stewart worked very hard to achieve a diploma in the fire service which was and still is very rare, especially for a volunteer firefighter as it involved taking approximately 27 different officer courses.”
Comox Mayor Paul Ives and several councillors were on hand along with Deidre Rennie and Comox Valley Fire Department Chaplin Lawrence Burns.
The new duty officer vehicle will serve the community for about 15 years, added Schreiner.
It is well-marked with signage and includes Rennie’s name.
“Stewart knew very well the many challenges of being a firefighter and as luck would have it, just as our vehicle dedication was about to get underway, we were called for an emergency of a house filled with smoke,” he noted.
“Sixteen of our firefighters had to leave the dedication to attend to this incident.”
The fire department had a similar dedication the last time they received a new vehicle when Engine #34 was dedicated to former fire chief Frank Grogan in 2012.
“We miss Stewart a lot and we are so pleased we can honour him in this way. I have always tried to make this a people-first organization and this is just another way to show what Stewart meant to us,” added Schreiner.