The District of Mission has added over 40 years of experience to the Fire Rescue Service’s administration team, with the promotion of two new fire chiefs in recent months.
Nick Rychkun was been hired as assistant chief of training and operations in February, and Ian Glasgow is the new assistant chief of fire prevention as of June.
Rychkun had previously been a career captain for almost four years, and a full-time firefighter for five years in Mission. He got his start as a volunteer firefighter in Maple Ridge and joined the Mission Fire Rescue Service in 2002 as a paid-on call firefighter.
He said he decided to make the move to assistant fire chief because he felt he was ready to push himself to take on new challenges and a greater leadership role within the department.
“I share in the Fire Chief’s vision of where the department is going in terms of community engagement and partnership,” Rychkun said. “I very much wanted to share in the responsibilities of shaping and moving this vision forward.”
While Rychkun grew up in Maple Ridge, he says his family has roots in Mission. He has four kids, is an avid runner and enjoys spending his time outdoors with friends and family.
Glasgow has been a fire and life safety professional for over two decades. He has worked at a fire protection engineering firm, spent time as a fire protection systems technician and as a suppression firefighter, before joining the District of Mission as the fire inspector and educator.
“I made the move to assistant chief because I felt it was the best way for me to serve both this community, and the firefighters who serve with such dedication.”
Glasgow is originally from Nova Scotia, but has made B.C. his home for over half his life. He says he and his wife use Mission’s local trail system, she rides a horse and he walks on foot with his aging Lab.