The village of Silton has been without a fire department for nearly a month after the dismissal of its longtime fire chief. In the latest update to the situation on Monday, the fire service revealed that both its interim fire chief and a captain had resigned. The revelation was learned during a requested meeting at the service’s fire hall on Sept. 13. “During this meeting, members raised questions regarding leadership, safety, communication and operational concerns,” the fire department’s update read. “Due to a lack of resolution, all but three members walked out of the meeting. As a result, this page will no longer be actively monitored until fire service resumes.” Silton’s longtime volunteer fire chief Corey Coons was dismissed from the volunteer role in late August, along with deputy fire chief Trevor Leggett. Another member of the firefighting team resigned immediately after the decision. The department has 18 active volunteer firefighters and three junior volunteer firefighters. Silton Fire serves a large area along the east shore of Last Mountain Lake, including resort communities and farms. According to a timeline from the department, on Aug. 25, membership was notified that they were locked out of the fire hall and that fire services would be suspended by interim leadership until Sept. 15 due to “stated concerns over department assets.” Fire departments from Lumsden and Earl Grey have been covering the Silton’s service area since the disruption began. With files from Wayne Mantyka
