After a career in the public safety service spanning over 48 years, Langley City Fire Chief Rory Thompson is stepping down.

On Monday, March 7, Thompson announced he will be retiring on April 29, 2022

READ ALSO: New chief joins City family

“For the past 11 years, I have had the privilege of serving as fire chief for the City of Langley,” Thompson said.

“I am very pleased that Deputy Chief Scott Kennedy has been selected to take over the helm of the Langley City Fire Rescue Service. He is one of the finest fire officers that I have had the pleasure of serving with,” Thompson remarked.

Chief Administrative Officer Francis Cheung praised Thompson for fostering a “culture of professionalism and continuous learning amongst his impressive team of officers and firefighters.”

“Langley City is well served by our Fire Rescue Service, with a highly trained group of career and paid-on-call firefighters; furthermore, many of them are also seasoned instructors in the area of fire and rescue services in BC,” Cheung commented.

Cheung described Kennedy as “a proven leader, highly capable and well respected by City Council and staff – he is the right person to take over the leadership of the Langley City Fire Rescue Service.”

Langley City Deputy Chief Scott Kennedy will take over from retiring chief Rory Thompson, the City announced on Monday, March 7. (Special to Langley Advance Times)

Deputy Chief Kennedy commented that “I have had the privilege of working for the Langley City Fire Rescue Service in various capacities over the last 38 years and I look forward to working with City Council and staff to meet the unique opportunities and challenges with the significant growth that the arrival of SkyTrain will bring to the community.”

A change of command ceremony is being planned.

Thompson, who had 24 years experience as a firefighter on Vancouver Island, came to Langley City from the Justice Institute’s Maple Ridge campus, where he served as program director of professional programs.

Chief Thompson played a significant role in convincing the provincial government to bring in tougher sprinkler regulations after the December 2016 fire that destroyed the top floor of Paddington Station, an upscale four-storey wood frame multi-unit residential complex.

READ ALSO: Balcony sprinklers to be required for four-storey wood-frame buildings

Thompson’s report on the fire to City Council blamed a lack of sprinklers that allowed a balcony fire to spread.

“If this building (Paddington) had sprinklers on the balconies and in the attic, this fire likely would not have spread into the attic space,” the Thompson report said.

Armed with the report, Langley City lobbied the provincial government to update the BC Building Code, and succeeded.

Since July of 2017, fire sprinklers have been required on the balconies of all new four-storey wood-frame residential buildings.