Oka appoints interim fire director

The municipality of Oka announced the appointment of an interim director at its fire department on Tuesday following the arrest of Oka fire chief Sylvain Johnson during the weekend.

He was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Le Journal de Montréal.

An arrest occurred after an individual was found asleep behind the wheel of a car in St. Joseph du Lac, said Jean-Philippe Labbé, inspector at the Lake of Two Mountains police department.

Fire operations chief Stéphane Sarrazin has been named the interim director of the Oka fire department. According to Oka mayor Patrick Hardy, Johnson is currently on sick leave.

“The current situation is being treated with the utmost seriousness befitting our municipality’s public safety mission,” said Hardy in a February 10 press release.

“While acting with the firmness required by public safety duties, the municipal Council is addressing the human aspect of this situation with professionalism.”

Other administrative decisions will be made shortly, according to Oka’s interim director general Mario Besner.

“The municipal administration is ensuring that its director is fully capable of acting and adheres to the exemplary standards associated with the position,” said director of communications Colette Beaudoin in the release.

“In all our communities this happens, and it’s a shame when it happens,” Hardy told The Eastern Door. “Thank God nobody was injured.”

The city of Oka offers support resources, such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), for Johnson and others who are affected by the events this past weekend. An EAP is free, short-term counselling or referral to counselling for employees facing issues that affect their health and work.

“Those were my words to him: this is an opportunity for you to just set things right,” said Hardy. “Take some time to heal.”

[email protected]

Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter