New chief for North Westside Fire Rescue

The new fire chief for the North Westside Fire Rescue department (NWFR) is a familiar face in the community.

Ross Kotscherofski has been appointed NWFR chief and begins his duties today, Aug. 31. He brings extensive experience to the paid-on-call department which serves communities along Westside Road from La Casa to Westshore Estates. He formerly held the position of Fire Services Manager with the RDCO and volunteered for NWFR early in his career.

Kotscherofski has Emergency Medical Responder experience, as well as over eight years as a full-time firefighter, trainer and administrator. In his considerable experience fighting wildfires, he has acted in the role of Structural Protection Specialist, Incident Commander and Task Force Leader.

Kotscherofski also specializes in training officers and firefighters. He led training for the RDNO fire departments, Wilsons Landing and NWFR, in addition to teaching new firefighters through the Justice Institute of BC.

“I gained valuable experience overseeing the RDCO’s four fire departments, but my passion is really helping the community on the front line during a crisis,” said Kotscherofski. “I’m looking forward to working as a first responder with the dedicated team at NWFR.”

The Regional District of Central Okanagan provides fire protection and suppression services through four paid-on-call departments in the Ellison, Joe Rich, North Westside and Wilson’s Landing communities within the Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West electoral areas. Each department provides services specifically for its fire protection area and is funded by property owners living within the fire department jurisdiction.

Visit rdco.com to learn more about RDCO Fire Protection Services and each fire department.