The Town of Kingsville is pleased to welcome John Quennell as its new Fire Chief.
Chief Quennell has decades of experience in fire and rescue operations, working in multiple capacities throughout his lengthy career. He was the Deputy Fire Chief for the Town of Lakeshore from 2011 to 2019. Previously he was a career firefighter with the City of Windsor for 32 years where he retired in 2010 with the rank of Assistant Fire Chief.
“The Town of Kingsville is fortunate to secure John Quennell along with his emergency response expertise, team building skillset, and overall professionalism to lead as Fire Chief during these critical times,” said Mayor Nelson Santos. “The Chief is well-respected and is a strong and capable leader.”
In October 2020 Quennell answered the call to help the Kingsville Fire Department and filled a leadership void as a temporary Deputy Fire Chief. A recent review of the Kingsville Fire Department concluded that a change in leadership within the fire department was necessary.
Quennell will be responsible for the overall management and operation of the Fire Department. He will report to the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, lead all emergency responses including the Covid-19 crisis, and will participate as a member of the Town’s Senior Management Team.
“We have recruited a highly competent chief officer who has years of experience in emergency operations,” stated John Norton, Chief Administrative Officer. “The Town of Kingsville has a highly regarded Fire Department and we are proud to move forward with Chief Quennell as its leader.”
Quennell has a Masters Certificate in Municipal Management from York University and is a trained Community Emergency Management Coordinator.
Quennell’s official start date as Fire Chief is Monday, January 25, 2021.
More Information
John Norton, CAO
Town of Kingsville
519-733-2305 extension 222
Read this January 22, 2021 news update on our website
Photo: John Quennell in front of fire truck
The absence of clarity in respect to recent turmoil in Kingsville’s Fire Department suggests an absence of accountability on the part of those responsible for termination of a predecessor Chief’s tenure. Of course, personal matters are not subjects of public discussion and so it should be. However, the peculiar and vague manner in which a fire Chief was replaced does beg inquiries about “What happened?” No need to invade privacy but the opaqueness of our Municipal officials–elected and appointed–leaves a certain degree of uneasiness about process in personnel management in the Town of kingsville.
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