View Royal residents can meet their firefighters and witness a formal change of command at an open house being planned for September 2026 at the fire station at 333 Island Highway. The event marks the transition before Fire Chief Paul Hurst’s retirement on October 1, 2026, after 42 years of service with the department.
Hurst, who began as a volunteer at age 16 and became a full-time firefighter in 1988, has served as Fire Chief since 2006. The ceremony will honour his decades of service as Assistant Fire Chief Kris Malinosky — appointed in February 2025 with 27 years of firefighting experience — plays a key role in the leadership transition. A successor to Hurst as Fire Chief has not yet been publicly announced.
The open house gives residents a chance to tour the station, meet the full-time and paid-on-call members who staff the service 24/7, and see the formal ceremony recognizing the leadership transition. View Royal Fire Rescue has protected the community since 1948 and serves approximately 12,000 residents across the West Shore.
The event falls during a period of broader municipal change, with Mayor Sid Tobias not seeking re-election in the October 17, 2026 vote. But the focus in September will be on thanking Chief Hurst for his four decades of service and welcoming the new leadership team.
