Name change means Yukon association now represents firefighters too

The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs has renamed itself the Association of Yukon Firefighters and Chiefs.

The name change came during a special meeting of the association on Tuesday but according to its president Warren Zakus, the idea started last August.

"The association put forward the mandate to the executives to explore converting our society to increase its membership beyond fire chiefs," said Zakus. "Initially it was fire chiefs and officers who were a part of the society and we wanted to broaden that to include all members of the fire service."

Zakus said before the name change, the association still represented everyone because each fire chief represented their local department and volunteers, but this change allows everyone – including firefighters and fire dispatchers – to be an active member and contribute to the organization.

Zakus said under the new name 350 members will have representation. That's up from just 40 members.

"More members gives us the ability to do more things," Zakus explained. "Have more political clout. You know, just engage with the entire Yukon fire service better. Get feedback from the entire service. And make sure that everyone in the fire service is represented."

Zakus said this is the biggest change that's happened to the organization since it started in 1992, and he thinks it'll have a positive impact.