Julie Machado is the new fire chief of the Lac La Hache Volunteer Fire Department (VFD).
The Cariboo Regional District, which manages the Lac La Hache VFD, announced her appointment in a press release earlier this week. Machado had been with the department since 2016 and was previously one of the department's captains. She assumed her new responsibilities on Oct. 1st.
Machado takes over from former Fire Chief Terry Murphy, who passed away suddenly on July 7 earlier this year. In an interview with the simplymastery, Machado says she cried a bit when she found out she had gotten the job.
"I was just really honoured to take the position," Machado said. "It's a little bit sad, just because it's hard to replace our chief, because Terry was a really great chief."
Machado applied for the position noting she has been training for the job since 2017 under Murphy. She said she always looked up to Murphy and tried to learn as much as she could from him while working under him.
"I did have some good competition there (in applying), but yeah, I figured, might as well try," Machado said.
She added that she is still trying to learn all of the ropes of her new position, such as paperwork, taking care of the crew, making sure everyone is trained properly for the job at hand and other duties.
When she is not at the fire hall Machado owns and operates Lac La Hache Stuff & Things and is a supervisor for private home care. She first moved to the Cariboo in 2012 from Coquitlam. In the Lower Mainland, she noted, volunteer fire departments like Lac La Hache are not common and she developed an interest in the Lac La Hache VFD.
"When I moved to the Cariboo - when I realized (the department) was volunteer, I thought it would be a great idea to try it out, to see it. I always liked fire stuff, and I caught my house on fire many times with cooking. I figured I should pay it back, so I joined, and yeah, I fell in love with it," Machado stated, adding that after the 2017 wildfires, she developed a passion for firefighting which inspired her to get more involved.
As for any message she has to the community, she is thankful for the love and support that she has received since taking on this new role.
"We're going to do our best to keep everybody safe."
With files from Patrick Davies.
