Town of Penetanguishene and Town of Midland Welcome New Fire Chief, Richard Renaud

January 11, 2023 – The Town of Penetanguishene and Town of Midland are pleased to welcome Richard Renaud as the shared Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief effective January 23, 2023.  

The selection of Chief Renaud comes following a thorough recruitment and selection process completed by a qualified recruitment committee.  “We genuinely appreciate the work done by the recruitment committee ensuring that the selection process followed was fair, based on merit and included a comprehensive assessment of the skills, knowledge, and abilities of candidates,” said Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Lees.

Chief Renaud brings over 30 years of public service experience to the Town’s shared municipal service, starting his career as a paramedic in 1989 and joining the fire service in 1995. With his background in career, composite, and volunteer fire services with front-line and management experience, he understands what is needed to provide quality emergency services to communities.

“On behalf of both municipalities, I would like to welcome Chief Renaud to Penetanguishene and Midland.  We look forward to working with him and I am confident that with his leadership, we will continue to deliver high-quality fire protection and emergency response services to our communities,” said Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Lees.   “I would like to take this opportunity once again to thank our former Chief, Paul Ryan, who retired on December 31, 2022. Without the work ethic, dedication, and leadership that Retired Chief Ryan illustrated, our shared fire service would not be where it is today.”

Chief Renaud comes to us with a bachelor’s degree in Fire & Life Safety, an Executive Diploma in Municipal Management, Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership, and an Executive Certificate in Fire Management.  He is a certified and experienced Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC), has taught Mental Health Awareness programs, and has been part of Crisis Response and Peer Counselling teams his entire career.

For more information regarding the shared fire services plan, please visit the Town of Penetanguishene Webpage or the Town of Midland Webpage.