Fire Chief Simon Grypma
Fire Chief Simon Grypma has 37 years of Service with the Nelson, British Columbia, Fire Department, http://ow.ly/rUV6R. In 1995 he was appointed Fire Prevention Officer. Since 2009, he’s led the Nelson Fire Department as the Chief. Since 1992 Nelson has had 9 residential fire fatalities. His department responds to hundreds of fire calls per year: 40 percent relate to kitchen incidents. Since 2010, he’s directed the department’s fire inspection towards residential fire safety, including an aggressive smoke alarm campaign recognized provincially in BC Legislation. His department has undertaken a pilot program endorsed by the Fire Chiefs Association of BC to evaluate the ‘Stove Reminder’. For 10 years he dealt with the family issues of the dementia of his father. He has firsthand experience of his parents struggling at home and then four years in a residential long term care facility. In 2013, he’s the Nelson Chairman for the Alzheimer's Walk for Memories.
