City of Burlington Names Karen Roche as New Fire Chief
*Please see below a media release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — November 24, 2020 — The City of Burlington is pleased to announce Karen Roche as the Fire Chief for Burlington.Chief Roche brings more than 24 years of progressive Fire service experience working in many facets of the emergency services. Most recently as Acting Fire Chief and prior to that Deputy Fire chief with the City of Burlington. This has afforded Karen a thorough understanding of the challenges of managing modern fire services during times of economic, demographic and community risk-based issues, including her role in the Emergency Control Group (ECG) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The City of Burlington is committed to promoting access, equality, diversity and human rights through innovative policy, programs and services. Chief Roche is committed to contribute in a meaningful way to this through her appointments to the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC); International Diversity Executive Leadership Program (iDELP) and more recently the joint Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) / International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) appointment to the International Bullying Taskforce.
"After a full internal and external competition, I am pleased to congratulate Fire Chief Karen Roche on achieving this position. Karen has distinguished herself as a steadfast leader whose dedication to supporting diversity and innovation will be important in connecting with the community and keeping residents safe through delivery of high-quality fire services." -- Allan Magi, Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure & Community Services, City of Burlington
Burlington Fire DepartmentThe Burlington Fire Department is committed to public safety on behalf of more than 180,000 Burlington residents in a combined urban and rural area covering 189 square kilometres. The department provides public education, fire prevention, suppression and emergency response in Burlington. The Burlington Fire Department has 200 full-time staff and 65 volunteers serving the community.MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:Burlington City Council is very pleased to have Karen Roche as Fire Chief for our great city. Karen stepped in as interim-chief while our city continues to face a global pandemic as an integral member to our emergency response team. We look forward to her continued contribution to the City of Burlington and the Burlington Fire Department. Her years of fire services experience will continue to prove valuable to the city and our ongoing commitment to public safety. She has guided us through a global pandemic and will take us into the future!Links and Resources: