Fire chief leaving department for new challenges

Nick Ruller loves a challenge. He likes to push himself, and to learn new skills.

He also loves his job as fire chief of his home town, but he’s ready to try something different. “That’s just my personality. It’s how I’m wired,” he says. 

He quotes the saying, “Comfort is the enemy of growth,” which tells him that it’s not okay to get too comfortable, but rather to grab the opportunity to grow, and to develop a new range of skills that builds on his experience in NOTL, and in Toronto, where he worked before coming home to Niagara to raise his family.

This explains why he is leaving a great job to try something different, as a platoon chief in Brampton, which is also a management position.

Fire departments that are staffed 24/7 have shifts, and platoon chiefs are the shift supervisors, he explains.

He didn’t rush into the job he’s accepted, he says. It’s important to be part of the “right team,” as he is in town, and he feels he will be in his next position. “I’m leaving one great team for another high-performance team.”

Relocation was not an option, he adds. He won’t be moving from the town where he grew up. He and his family all have their friends here, and are part of a community they don’t want to leave.

When he settles into his new job, he will continue to volunteer with the Old Town fire department, knowing it is short of volunteers, and that he wants to continue contributing to his community, serving and protecting the residents of NOTL.

As excited as he is about the new job, it hasn’t been an easy time for him. His father had just made a trip from out west in an RV, and after spending a couple of days here with the grandkids, he and Nick hit the road together, a chance for the two of them to reconnect after time apart during COVID. They made it as far as Florida, when his father died suddenly. Nick, with all his training, was suddenly on the other side of an emergency, calling for help, and having emergency services arrive in a very difficult and emotional situation.

With all his experience and training helping others in similar situations, being on the receiving end gave him a different perspective, and a renewed appreciation of what those in emergency services are called on to do.

Although it isn’t easy, he says, his experience of helping others in their grief has helped him handle the grief that has followed him home
from Florida, knowing he has to move forward each day.

He says it’s his nature to be the optimist, to look for the good in what is happening around him, and that is helping him deal with the loss of his father. He refers to the words of CAO Marnie Cluckie in the news release about him leaving as a good explanation of who he is.

In her message of thanks to Ruller for his commitment, teamwork, and community focus, Cluckie said, “I will always be grateful for his collaborative approach, optimistic outlook on life, and value-based leadership.”

She also described him as a “thoughtful and strategic leader who strives to create a positive culture of trust and respect, enabling everyone to work toward common goals and objectives.”

“Under Nick’s leadership, there have been vast improvements in Fire Services, and he has developed a terrific team. Nick can leave with the confidence that this dedicated, motivated, and professional team will continue his strong trajectory.”

He agrees he can leave with confidence, knowing council and staff support sustaining a strong volunteer force, he says. 

“There will be no shortage of work to be done, or challenges as the department evolves,” he says, but a solid foundation will help it move forward.

“It’s in a good position. The CAO has been absolutely amazing to work with, with has a genuine interest in seeing the organization succeed.”

He is leaving behind a solid team, a supportive council, and a strong staff, with the emergency services department well situated to move forward.

“It is in good shape, but not because of me,” he says.

A very long list of achievements during his time with the service would imply otherwise.

He leaves at the end of the month, and a “robust recruitment process will be initiated shortly,” the town news release says, with more information forthcoming about the appointment of an acting chief until the position is filled.