Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast

Brian Hutchinson, superintendent of provincial operations at BC Wildfire Service, joins Tom DeSorcy to discuss his experience in various structural firefighting roles, how the second worst wildfire season affected B.C., how BC Wildfire deployed resources out of province to aid others in 2025, what he thinks is in store for 2026, and more. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurers of firefighters since 1991.

Tune in to hear fire Chief Mathew Conte’s harrowing experience fighting the devastating Jasper wildfires of 2024. Conte also touches on how the municipality has pushed past this challenging time, how wildfire fighting is ingrained into his department, and his own start in the fire service.This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada, a division of CVIS Incorporated, Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

Fire Chief Jason Cairney takes you inside Surrey Fire Services’ award-winning cancer prevention efforts. The three-part health initiative involves specialized education, cardiac stress testing, and advanced blood and urine screenings to identify risks early. Chief Cairney emphasizes the shift toward clean cab designs and on-scene decon. A critical component of the program’s success is the partnership with the local union, which ensures member privacy and encourages high participation rates. Tune in for details!

Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), takes listeners inside their annual "Chiefs on the Hill" initiative, where a large delegate of fire chiefs meet with federal officials in early December to address policy implications for fire, emergency, and life safety across Canada. Tune in to find out this year’s hot topics on the Hill. 

This episode features Fire Chief Greg Jones of the Amherst Fire Department and president of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia. Chief Jones discusses the release of the association's governance study, which is a roadmap for modernizing and strengthening fire service delivery. Chiefs will gain critical insights into key recommendations, including introducing consolidated legislation, implementing provincial training and fire service standards to ensure a minimal training level for every firefighter, establishing a better, sustainable funding model, and enhancing coverage for mental health and cancer prevention. 

Fire Chief Clarence Coolen shares his personal battle with cancer and how that experience motivated him to prioritize cancer prevention for the Hubbards District Volunteer Fire Department in Nova Scotia by securing new PFAS-free turnout gear for his entire crew — and securing the $170,000 budget for new safety equipment was no easy feat. This is one of several challenges of being a rural fire chief that Chief Coolen addresses, ultimately advising other small-department chiefs to advocate fiercely for their members' safety.

Former Firefighter Jess Ward, now a dedicated mental health advocate and CEO of Athinka, discusses navigating stress through “mental mapping” to navigate mental states. She touches on the critical difference between stimulus and response and emphasizes the importance of mental fitness and preventative strategies for fire service personnel, contrasting them with reactive approaches to critical incidents and highlighting the need for clear purpose and narrative in fire departments to maintain engagement.

Tune in for an insightful conversation with Brian Hutchinson, a seasoned veteran of the Canadian fire services in both wildland and municipal sectors. The discussion highlights Hutchinson's career trajectory and the evolving relationship between wildland and structural fire fighting, particularly in the context of the WUI and the increasing severity of fires. The conversation also explores the interagency agreement in B.C., which facilitates the deployment of municipal fire resources to provincial wildfire incidents. Finally, the interview touches upon the need for national standards and better integration of municipal resources in wildfire response across Canada.

Join us on this insightful podcast episode as host Ret. Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy sits down with Tim Pley, a former fire chief, past president of the Fire Chiefs Association of BC, and local government CAO, to explore the evolving landscape of the volunteer fire service. Pley offers invaluable insights into the challenges facing volunteerism today, from societal shifts and the 'gig economy' affecting recruitment, to the evolving expectations around compensation and the need for new leadership approaches. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand the pivotal changes and future direction of the fire service, emphasizing that 'this is not your father's fire department' and leaders must adapt their methods to lead differently and value the time and contributions of younger generations.

Firefighter Anthony De Benedictis details his personal project, Firefighter Rescues Ontario, where he collected information from public sources to analyze rescue trends within the province. He emphasizes the importance of this data for improving training and operations. The conversation highlights the challenges and potential benefits of collecting and utilizing rescue statistics to enhance firefighter preparedness and public safety.

Hear from three Canadian suppliers — Marcel Syens, Principal Associate for Double Eagle Associates, Rick Suche, CEO of Fort Garry Fire Trucks, and Mark Biernat, president of Biernat Fire Feu — on the challenges fire departments in Canada face regarding procurement, particularly during the rapidly evolving economic uncertainty and tariffs in today’s world that could ultimately mean higher prices and longer wait times. For context, please note this podcast was recorded on April 16. 

This episode focuses on challenges and progress within the Canadian fire service, with a particular emphasis on the unique circumstances and evolution of Indigenous fire departments. (Ret.) Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy interviews Acting Fire Chief Michael Seth, providing insights into the history, current state, and future aspirations of the Six Nations Fire and Emergency Services, while also touching on broader themes affecting fire services across Canada.

Matt Pegg, COO of Warrior Health and retired fire chief, discusses the organization's origins and goals. Warrior Health emerged from Wounded Warriors Canada and aims to provide comprehensive mental health support and resilience training to public safety personnel and their families across Ontario. Pegg highlights the province's financial commitment and the program's unique inclusion of family support as crucial elements. He expresses hope that this model can expand interprovincially, emphasizing the importance of the program's independent evaluation and evidence-based approach. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada. A division of CVIS incorporated , Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991. 

Are you prepared for the challenges of retirement? This episode of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast explores the crucial topic of firefighter mental health during the transition out of service. Retirement can bring a loss of identity and purpose, disconnect from the fire service family, and a resurgence of unresolved trauma. This episode features captain Steve Farina, a leader in first responder mental health, who shares his insights from 30 years in Fire.Learn about the three phases of retirement, from pre-retirement planning to thriving in your post-service life. The podcast emphasizes the need for mentorship, succession planning and community connections for all firefighters, including volunteer and paid-on-call personnel. Don't let valuable experience and knowledge fade away; instead, create a culture of support from recruitment to retirement. Tune in to gain actionable strategies that will ensure thriving during and after service.

To kick off 2025, we’re bringing you an interview with Jim Jessop, the newly appointed fire chief and general manager of Toronto Fire Services. Join host and retired fire chief Tom DeSorcy as Jessop recounts his 30-year career, highlighting key mentors and experiences that shaped his leadership. He discusses significant changes in the fire service, including improved safety equipment and stronger fire code enforcement. Jessop addresses the challenges facing Toronto Fire Services, emphasizing collaboration and proactive well-being initiatives for his staff. Finally, he offers advice to aspiring fire chiefs, stressing the importance of teamwork and seeking diverse perspectives. This episode is brought to you by VFIS of Canada. A division of CVIS incorporated , Canada’s largest insurer of firefighters since 1991.

This podcast features an interview with Fire Chief Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, discussing current challenges facing Canadian fire services. Key topics include the increasing reliance on fire departments for medical first response, the importance of addressing first responder mental health, and the need for improved collaboration among federal, provincial, and municipal agencies during emergencies like wildfires. McMullen also highlights the CAFC's advocacy efforts, specifically pushing for a national fire administration and increased funding for emergency preparedness programs. Finally, he emphasizes the crucial role of volunteer firefighters and the need to better recognize their contributions.

In this episode, host Tom DeSorcy interviews Randy Schroeder, fire chief for the Town of Mayerthorpe & Lac Ste. Anne County and president of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association. The conversation explores the challenges and complexities of maintaining a volunteer fire service, particularly in rural areas. The discussion delves into issues of recruitment and retention, acknowledging the increasing pressures on volunteers, particularly in light of the escalating scope of hazards and the growing demand for emergency services. Schroeder emphasizes the need for better communication and advocacy to address these challenges and the importance of cultivating passion and resilience within the fire service.

On the latest edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Ret. Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy is joined by Steve Fraser, the co-author of the proactive mental health awareness training program for first responders Resilient Minds and a retired captain with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services. The pair discuss the past, present and future Resilient Minds and outline how firefighters can introduce mental wellness training into their departments.

Ret. Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy sits down with returning guest Jennifer Grigg, whose 30-year career with the fire service has included time spent as a volunteer firefighter, instructor, and coach. The pair discuss the importance of personal reflection, examine how family fits into the lives of firefighters both in and out of the station, and review the state of change currently impacting volunteer fire services.

On the latest edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Jason Brolund, fire chief for West Kelowna Fire Rescue, which provides services for the city of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nations, shares his experience leading the fight against 2023’s McDougall Creek wildfire, a fire chief’s “nightmare scenario.” The McDougall Creek fire was the largest wildfire in the history of West Kelowna and forced the evacuation of over 10,000 residents.  

Ret. Fire Chief Arjuna George has stayed connected to the fire service as a columnist (From Hire to Retire, Canadian Firefighter), podcast host (Beneath the Helmet), and author (Burnt Around the Edges, with more books to come). Arjuna shares how burnout pushed him into early retirement, why he wrote a book on it, and how a “world café” can contribute to better mental health.

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg and Michael Landsberg, founder of Sick Not Weak, sat down with Ret. Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss the value of talking about mental health without shame, stigma, and the return on investment when leaders open up about mental wellbeing and resiliency. 

Dr. Richard Gasaway, one of America’s leading authorities on human error and situational awareness, joins (Ret.) Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to chat about the evolution of the term situational awareness, impacts of technology, and how neuroscience can help us make our best decisions on the modern-day fire ground.

Hailing from Sacramento, Cali., coach, consultant and fire captain Rashawn Fulcher chats with host Fire Chief (Ret.) Tom DeSorcy about his 22-year career with the unique perspective as a minority, bridging the gaps in the diversity conversation, and facing the challenges of mass retirement and loss of leadership experience in Fire.

Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, joins the latest episode of the podcast to chat with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the historic wildfire season, the major topics heading into this year’s Chiefs on the Hill and September’s Fire-Rescue conference in Halifax. The two continued conversations from the event about the benefits that a national fire advisor would bring for Canada, and the impacts it would have in building a national framework for funding and advocacy of the sector’s top issues. 

Argentinian air tractor pilot and volunteer firefighter Diego Perez talks with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about aerial wildfire fighting in the Maritimes, how ground and air crews can train to work safely together, changes to structural fire fighting, aircraft apparatus, and the adrenaline rush that comes right before a drop. 

Hailing from Nova Scotia, retired Fire Chief and Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton chats with host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the challenges of volunteer fire fighting in small rural towns, taking an organized approach to advocate for more resources, the importance of networking, how provinces can incorporate the local fire service to strengthen wildfire response, and navigating discussions around deploying crews to other areas in need.

Chief John Liadis talks to host and retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the generational reactions to modernizing your department, who to focus on for successful change adoption, getting the buy-in, the need for transparent team communication, social media playing a new role in the next generation of recruitment, and how training is a core component of taking your department to the next level.

Waskesiu Fire Chief Les Karpluk joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about leadership in the fire service, building relationships and trust, and how to recognize young leaders on your team.

BC Wildfire Service lead forecaster Matt MacDonald joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about fire weather forecasting in British Columbia, how environmental conditions affect wildfire seasons, and analyzing the science behind predicting wildfires and weather. 

Toronto’s Fire Chief Matthew Pegg joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about the department’s latest recruitment; the qualifications, courage and motivation of today’s candidates; the importance of connecting with and supporting your members, and why large fire services can and do learn from small departments.  

The easiest fire to fight is one that is prevented from happening. In this edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, host Tom DeSorcy is joined by Brad Davidson, retired firefighter and fire investigator from Flin Flon, Manitoba. The two discuss how Davidson got his start in the fire service, the difference between municipal and industrial fire protection, the changes in fire behaviours and reactions, and the importance of fire investigation.

Karen Roche, fire chief for Burlington, Ont., shares how her department is looking to hire the right fit for fire fighting through the Multi-Mini-Interview process, or MMIs. The MMI program has a strong focus on assessing soft skills and determining emotional intelligence. Take a deep dive into this hiring technique with Roche and host Tom DeSorcy. 

To comeRed Deer’s Fire Chief Ken McMullen, the new president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, joins Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast to talk about inflation, budget cycles, minimum training standards, medical response, mental health and the importance of advocacy at the CAFC.

In the latest edition of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy sat down with Craig Richardson, a training specialist and fire services advisor with the Office of the Fire Commissioner in B.C., to talk about training standards. The two discussed the 2014 training Playbook and how it helped to revolutionize training standards in B.C. Tune in to hear where training is headed now with the OFC’s training standard, what’s changing and how departments are reacting.

What is coaching and how can it help you as a leader? What is the difference between a coach and a mentor? Shelley Langille, founder and president of SeeShell Consulting, talks to Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about how career and executive coaching can help you align your mind with your goals, become a better listener, and increase your personal performance and self-awareness on the path to ultimately becoming a better leader and coach to others.  

Arjuna George, retired fire chief and professional coach, talks to fire chief and host Tom DeSorcy about the importance of succession planning to the fire service, maintaining business continuity, identifying emerging leaders, how succession planning impacts recruitment and retention, defining retirement, empowering people to lead, and the future of the volunteer fire service in Canada.

FireFit of Canada is back on the road after a two- and half-year pandemic hiatus. Now in its 29th year, this family business, run by the McRoberts, is dedicated to firefighter fitness, has a new partnership with Draeger for 2022, and a tentative schedule for 2023 already in the works. Tune in to hear Hilary McRoberts share more about the FireFit circuit, competition tasks, training, and how it all relates to teambuilding and firefighter safety. 

In this episode of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, Steven Craft, principal at CMH Fire Consultants, joins host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss the series of five separate fire research burns on a full-scale mass timber structure in Ottawa. Craft touches on the importance of these research burns, how the tests are being conducted and what they mean for the fire service. 

Chris Harrow, director of fire services for the Town of Minto and Township of Wellington North in Ontario and interim CAO, talks to Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about volunteer recruitment, retention, and engagement; the increased need for making business cases to council; his successes partnering with the paramedics and police, and the foundations for building partnerships that improve coordination all around.

John McKearney, the fire chief in Whistler and president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, looks back on his time in the fire service, reflecting on the importance of paid-on-call firefighters working alongside careers, moving from the Vancouver department to a resort municipality, changing risks and vulnerabilities in small towns versus big cities, and the need for a national strategy on the interface threat of wildfires and flooding.

Tune in to April’s podcast for a conversation on how public alerts have evolved, why radio is still a key player, what the research shows about public reaction to emergency notifications, best practices for crafting your message, why it’s important to know and address your policy hurdles and how GPS plays a role in the next generation of population targeting. Podcast host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy talks all this and more with Jacob Westfall, chief technology officer with Public Emergency Alerting Services Incorporated (PEASI), a mass notification software company based in Calgary who is the developer of Alertable software.

On Jan. 28, the Ontario government released a draft regulation to create mandatory minimum certification standards for specific fire protection services. Rob Grimwood, president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and deputy chief for Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, joins host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy to discuss details of the proposed new rules and what it means for Ontario’s fire service.

In this episode of Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast, host and Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy talks to Joy MacDermid, Firewell’s scientific director and co-author of “Canadian career firefighters’ mental health impacts and priorities.” This study interviewed 39 career firefighters on how they viewed their mental health needs, experiences and resources.

This month’s podcast dives into the volunteer sector initiatives of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC). Host and Hope, B.C.’s Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy talks to CAFC director and Answer the Committee chair Vince MacKenzie, fire chief for Grand Falls Windsor, N.L., about the story behind the Answer the Call committee, the Great Canadian Volunteer Census, and what the research says about the needs and future of Canada’s volunteer fire service.

Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy hosts Fire Chief Ken Stuebing, the new IAFC president and executive director and fire chief for Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency. Stuebing, who helms a metro composite department, the backstory of his IAFC appointment, the important role of Canada in the IAFC, and staffing, succession planning and other challenges shared by colleagues around the world as we come out of the pandemic.

Jennifer Grigg, whose career in the fire service spans 30 years and has expanded to include being a certified body language coach, joins host Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy for a conversation on developing soft skills through the study of body language, which Grigg used to overcome anxiety. Grigg and DeSorcy talk about body language awareness in interviews, developing follow up questions based on body language, how vocal tone, voice and cadence plays into recognizing stress and why it’s important to pay special attention to the mouth.

Mark MacDonald, the fire chief for the Township of Cramahe and president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, talks with Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about the challenges faced by associations during the pandemic and the ones faced by fire chiefs that they are addressing alongside recruitment, retention and record retirements in the fire service, the beneficial role of technology and anticipating the return to live conferences and trade shows.