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Fire Underwriters Survey Recognizes Top Fire Chiefs, 2023

30 September 2023

The 2023 Canadian Fire Chief of the Year awards were presented by Fire Underwriters Survey during the Awards Gala at the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs’ annual conference, Fire-Rescue Canada 2023. These awards are an excellent opportunity to recognize excellence in leadership in the fire sector.


2023 Career Fire Chief of the Year Morgan Hackl, Fire Chief Saskatoon Fire Department	2023 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Dean Mineault, Fire Chief Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department

“It is a great honour to present the awards for Canada’s Fire Chief of the Year for 2023,” said Michael Currie, Vice President, Fire Underwriters Survey. “This year’s winners are examples of great Canadian community leaders; they are examples of those who truly put the safety of their communities above all else. The devastating losses we saw with wildfires across Canada this year are a stark reminder of the importance of Canadian Fire Departments as a critical line of defense against natural catastrophes.”

There are over 3,500 fire departments in Canada and an estimated 126,000 firefighting personnel, the majority of which are volunteers. Total funding of public fire protection was estimated to be over $5.8 billion for 2022.

For more information on the Award and Award Criteria, please see the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Website

Fire Underwriters Survey & the CAFC National Awards: Past Recipients

	Career Fire Chief of the Year	Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year
2022	John McKearney Whistler Fire Rescue Service	Danny McCallum Valleyview Fire Department
2021	Bill Boyes Brampton Fire and Emergency Services	Arnold Lazare Kahnawà:ke Fire Brigade
2020	Ken McMullen Red Deer Emergency Services	Randy Schroeder Mayerthorpe Fire Department
2019	Cameron Abrey Dauphin Fire Department	Judy Unsworth Wheatland County Fire Services
2018	Fire Chief Pierre Voisine of Cornwall Fire Department	Fire Chief Dale Ashbee Neebing Emergency Services
2017	Fire Chief Tim Armstrong New Westminster Fire & Rescue Service	Fire Chief Alain Nadeau Le Broqueri Fire Department
2016	Fire Chief Stephen Gamble, ECFO Township of Langley Fire Department	Fire Chief Cecil Kerr Gillam Volunteer Fire Department
2015	Fire Chief Daniel Brazeau Service incendie MRC d'Autray	Fire Chief Edward Bryan Atonable South-Monaghan Department of Fire & Emergency
2014	Division Chief Gordon Routley Montreal Fire Department	Fire Chief Gerald Jones Petitcodiac Fire Department
2013	Fire Chief Ken Block Edmonton Fire Rescue Service	Fire Chief Jerrold Lemko Vegreville Fire Department
2012	Fire Chief Bruce Burrell Calgary Fire Department	Fire Chief Harry Farrell New Maryland Fire Department
2011	Directeur Gilles la Madeleine Sécurité incendie de Beloeil	Fire Chief Charlie Boyte, CFO Pender Island Fire Rescue
2010	Fire Chief Gord Schreiner Comox Fire Rescue	Fire Chief Miles Boulter Chief Instructor of the Prince Edward Island Firefighters School
2009	Fire Chief Les Karpluk Prince Albert Fire Department	Fire Chief DanThorsteinson, Selkirk Fire Department
2008	Fire Chief William Stewart Toronto Fire Services	Fire Chief Bill Higgs Sechelt Chief Fire Officer
2007	Fire Chief Randy Wolsey Director of Community Protection for the Mohawk of Kahnawake Territory	Terry Diabo Founding President the Aboriginal Fire Fighters Association of Canada
2006	Fire Chief Serge Tremblay Montreal Fire Department	Fire Chief Glen Sanders Shawnigan Lake Volunteer Fire Department
2005	Fire Chief Donald Warden Wasaga Beach Fire Department	Fire Chief David Guilbault Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service
2004	Fire Chief Terry Allen Cambridge Fire Department	Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Levy Marsh Lake Yukon Territories
2003	Deputy Fire Chief John de Hooge Oakville Fire Department
2002	Fire Chief Wayne Morris Calgary Fire Department	Fire Chief Robert Prima Grenfell Fire Department