THE City of Vancouver announced on Tuesday that Darrell Reid will serve as Vancouver’s new Fire Chief and General Manager, responsible for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) and Emergency Management. The addition of the Office of Emergency Management to Reid’s portfolio represents a new alignment for that function within the City organization and will take advantage of his training and deep experience in this field.
Reid starts with the City on June 19 as the successor to current Fire Chief John McKearney, who is retiring on June 30 following 37 years of service.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Darrell as Vancouver’s new Fire Chief, bringing decades of experience in Fire and Rescue Services and Emergency Management. I’m confident that as Chief, Darrell will make great progress in ensuring the safety of our residents by bringing the City’s emergency response and preparedness to the next level,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Reid currently serves as CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He has a well-established career in Fire and Emergency Management Services having served as a Deputy Chief with Toronto Fire Services and as Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management Strathcona County Emergency Services in Alberta. He also served as the incident commander appointed by the Province of Alberta for the 2011 Slave Lake fires and 2013 High River flood.
“I welcome Darrell to our team at the City of Vancouver. He brings a well-rounded set of leadership and management skills that align with the complexity of the City’s work,” said Sadhu Johnston, City Manager.
“We believe with Darrell as the Fire Chief, we have a great opportunity to continue to build upon the recent positive labour relations strides that have benefitted both members and the Department. We are optimistic and look forward to a positive and lasting relationship with the new Fire Chief,” said Robert Weeks, President of the Vancouver Firefighters Union, IAFF Local 18.
“I am honoured by the opportunity to serve with the women and men of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and the Office of Emergency Management. I am excited to join a team with a tradition of excellence protecting a world-class city, and I look forward to helping find progressive and innovative solutions to the challenges we face.” said Darrell Reid.
Reid has completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Alberta and a Graduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina. He also completed the Executive Fire Officer Program with the US National Fire Academy.
In addition to his background as a firefighter / paramedic, Reid is the founder of a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing training and equipment to firefighters in developing countries. He also founded Canada’s largest licensed private training academy for firefighters and paramedics.
McKearney, whose 37 years of distinguished service to the City includes eight as Fire Chief, will be handing over a team of more than 800 staff deployed across 22 locations throughout the city.