COLLINS: How come I came to Kamloops?
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IN THE MIDDLE OF 2022, the City of Kamloops made a big announcement. They announced the hiring of Ken Uzeloc as our new fire chief. Uzeloc, who said he was honoured to be named to the position, had tremendous qualifications. A B.C. boy from Trail, Uzeloc came to Kamloops from a position as deputy chief in Calgary. He seemed like the perfect fit, and so far he has been. For two years, he looked after the drop-in centre in Calgary, he is strong in risk management, hazardous materials and he has a great reputation as a leader.
He has made a number of changes which have improved the efficiency of Kamloops Fire Rescue. He knows how to make decisions while at the same time keeping the respect of those he deals with. Current and ex-firefighters tell me they really like him. They have his back and he has theirs.
But sometimes I wonder if the chief wakes up some mornings and says, “What the hell am I doing here?”
Only a few months after he got to Kamloops, we had a civic election and Uzeloc was thrown into the middle of the Reid Hamer-Jackson-versus-city-council fiasco. And it’s this kind of situation that causes us to lose really good people.
