WEYBURN – The City of Weyburn is pleased to announce Trent Lee as the new fire chief.
Lee joined the Weyburn Fire Department on Dec. 1, 2021 as the deputy fire chief and served as the acting fire chief since Dec. 21. Prior to joining the city, he was the fire chief of the Carlyle Fire Department for 10 years and most recently a fire inspector in Saskatoon.
Lee will be responsible for leading, managing, planning and overseeing all aspects of the Weyburn Fire Department.
He was born and raised in Newfoundland, in the small community of Petty Harbour, but he has lived in Western Canada since he first came to Alberta at the age of 19, and six months later moved to Carlyle to drive truck for Spearing Service.
His truck-driving days ended after a semi he was driving was tangled in a 100-vehicle pileup in the fog in Ontario.
“I had no idea how to help. It caused a lot of anxiety and mental anguish, so I quit driving truck,” he said, noting he came back to Carlyle to work in a truck shop. While working there, it was suggested to him to join the local fire department as a volunteer in 1999, which he did.
By 2006, he assumed the position of fire chief after working his way up through the ranks, and taking whatever training he could at the provincial fire college and in the use of fire fighting and rescue equipment.
“For a small rural department, they were very busy for responses in the area,” he said. Lee remained as Carlyle’s fire chief until 2015.
He accepted a position with the Saskatoon Fire Department in September of 2016 as a fire inspector and fire investigator, and he took training to become a dispatcher.
“I loved doing inspections and investigations, but I missed everything to do with fire fighting. I missed the team work, and doing emergency calls, and assisting others with training to increase their confidence and their level of training,” said Lee, noting when a position came open in Weyburn as the deputy chief, he jumped at the opportunity.
“The firefighters here are very dedicated, passionate, and professional. I’m looking forward to assisting in their growth of knowledge and skills. I am also looking forward to actively being involved in public education and enhancing our fire prevention program,” said Lee.
“I want to welcome Chief Lee to the City of Weyburn’s Senior Leadership Team. Chief Lee brings years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. His guidance and leadership over the last few months have been invaluable. I look forward to having Chief Lee lead the Weyburn Fire Department,” said Weyburn city manager Mathew Warren.
