ERIN – The Town of Erin has officially confirmed "the departure" of its fire chief and director of fire and emergency services Jim Sawkins.
According to a new media release, Jim Sawkins departed as the director of fire and emergency services and fire chief on July 22. No reason was given for his departure.
On the town of Erin website, Scott Bates is now listed as the director of fire and emergency services and the interim Fire Chief.
Word of Sawkins no longer being with the town spread late last week. Municipal officials would not confirm it at that time.
"Jim has been an integral part of our community, providing exceptional leadership and dedication during his tenure with the town," said the press release. "The town respects the privacy of its employees, and we wish Jim well in his future endeavours."
Sawkins was The town of Erin’s fire chief for six years and acted as the town’s interim CAO from August 2023 to March 2024.
During his time with the town, Sawkins "spearheaded" initiatives to improve emergency response protocols and launched "several" community education programs focused on fire safety and emergency preparedness.
The release said he also served as the incident commander and was instrumental in operational decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the town of Erin is still listed as Sawkins’ employer on his LinkedIn, his profile says he is currently “looking for new opportunities.”
When asked about Sawkins’ departure during a phone interview last week, Mayor Michael Dehn said he was unable to comment because the town’s CAO Rob Adams handles all personnel matters.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
