The fire service is in Kevin Sprague’s blood.
The Wentworth man spent many hours hanging around the fire hall as a boy. After all, his father, Vernon, was chief of the department. So, it only made sense for him to join the Wentworth Volunteer Fire Department 37 years ago.
Twenty years ago, when his father retired as chief, Kevin stepped up and replaced the elder Sprague to become the head of the department. Vernon was a founding member of the Wentworth Fire Department.
Sprague has retired after 20 years at the helm of the department and was recognized during a reception in Wentworth recently.
“Once it gets in your blood it stays,” said Sprague following the ceremony in which plaques and certificates were presented by the department’s membership as well as representatives of the Municipality of Cumberland and Cumberland South MLA Tory Rushton, who is also the province’s minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “I knew it was time to go though. I did my time, 20 years. Change is good.”
Kevin Sprague (left) is thanked by Municipality of Cumberland director of Protective Services Allen Cole upon his retirement following 20 years as chief of the Wentworth Fire Department. Sprague will remain with the department as a member, continuing a 37-year career in the department.
Todd Seymour will replace Sprague as chief. While he will no longer be a chief, Sprague will remain as a volunteer firefighter.
Sprague has seen many changes in his career with the fire department, mostly good with a few negatives. Overall, he said, he has enjoyed his time as chief and has the utmost respect for every member of his team.
“I’m still quite active; I just didn’t want to do the chief’s thing anymore,” Sprague said. “We have some great people in our department and they’ve helped me enjoy my time as chief. We respond to 30 to 40 calls every year and we have a lot of extra activities going on the community. We work hard to make ourselves seen.”
Sprague is the second veteran chief to retire in several months. Lyman Bacon recently retired as chief of the Truemanville Fire Department following a nearly 30-year career as chief, although – like Sprague – Bacon will remain active in the fire service as well.
“We have some great people in our department and they’ve helped me enjoy my time as chief. We respond to 30 to 40 calls every year and we have a lot of extra activities going on the community. We work hard to make ourselves seen.”
Allen Cole, director of Protective Services for the Municipality of Cumberland, said Sprague has played a prominent role in the fire service.
“Under the guidance of Chief Sprague the Wentworth VFD became one of the best managed fire departments in the Municipality of Cumberland,” Cole said. “Chief Sprague was respected by the volunteer members of the department, other fire chiefs and the citizens of Wentworth.”
Cole said the job of the fire chief, while still a volunteer role, is time consuming and, at times, arduous.
“In addition to ensuring proper and ongoing training for the volunteer firefighters, ensuring that the firefighting equipment and apparatus are all functioning properly and ready to go at a moment’s notice 24 hours a day, there are the administrative functions that are the bane of many fire chief’s existence – budgets, accounting for expenditures and reporting financial information to the Municipality,” Cole said. “The people of Cumberland County and of Wentworth, in particular, were lucky to have Chief Sprague at the helm for two decades.”
Cumberland municipal District 6 Coun. Mark Joseph presents a certificate of appreciation to retiring Wentworth fire chief Kevin Sprague.