With the upcoming retirement of its current Fire Chief, Sarnia Fire Rescue Services is in the process of recruiting a new Fire Chief to provide the strategy and vision to carry the service into the future. With a new fire station under construction, and a recent addition of a second deputy fire chief, the service is continuing to adapt to meet the evolving needs of its residents, and staff.
About the City of Sarnia and Sarnia Fire Rescue
Located at the mouth of the St. Clair River on the shores of Lake Huron, the community of Sarnia is known for its breathtaking waterfront, pristine beaches and beautiful parks system. Situated on the American border, just a short drive from London, Ontario, the city boasts a host of recreational opportunities, state-of-the-art healthcare, a vibrant cultural scene, and excellent education paired with a high standard of living and mild climate.
Ranked the most affordable medium-sized city in Ontario, Sarnia, with its 72,000 residents, is home to over 1,000 acres of parkland and 40 km of trails in addition to 4 golf courses, 16 art galleries, 6 museums, and 3 theatres across the County.
As an organization the City of Sarnia, and Sarnia Fire Rescue, places a priority on the health and safety of its employees, including a focus on work-life balance through unique vacation and compensatory time offerings, alongside exceptional salaries and benefits.
Sarnia Fire Rescue has a proven record of excellence in the community, well known for delivering on its mission: to reduce loss of life and property with education, knowledge, and compassion. The service continues successes in establishing a vibrant, diverse and skilled team dedicated to community service, education and safety. Investments continue into equipment and facility modernization, including the construction of a new Fire Station No. 3 while the service transitions to take on oversight of emergency management for the community.
Fire Chief Profile
Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, the Chief will fill a critical leadership role as part of the City’s Senior Management Team, providing vision, direction, and oversight for Sarnia Fire Rescue as the service continues to evolve, grow and adapt. We are seeking a progressive, collaborative, and visionary Fire Chief who will help shape the future of emergency response, fire prevention, and emergency management in the community.
Our new Chief will provide strategic leadership, with a focus on continued improvements to the service while maintaining effective relationships within the department, with external stakeholders and community members.
We’re looking for a candidate with progressive leadership experience and a history of stepping up to new challenges and responsibilities. Experience in, and knowledge of applicable legislation; modern, large-urban firefighting and emergency response; incident management systems; public safety; budgetary processes; staff and public interactions; project management; and computer software will be an asset for any leader taking on the role.
Coupled with work experience, we are seeking a candidate who holds a degree or diploma in Public Administration; Emergency Services Management; or a relevant professional discipline.
Further education in the form of NFPA 1021 Fire Officer III and IV Professional Qualifications would further aid the successful candidate as they guide Sarnia Fire Rescue forward, maintaining a long-standing track record of service to the community.
We hope you can contribute your experience and vision to our team, helping us improve our community and create a prosperous, healthy, sustainable, and safe future for our residents.
The City is offering a salary of $157,866.80 to $199,836.00, along with a competitive benefits package complete with extended health and dental benefits, and enrollment in OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) pension plan.
Application Details
Candidates are invited to submit a resume in confidence to hr@sarnia.ca indicating “2023-61 – Fire Chief” in the subject line by October 1, 2023. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
The City of Sarnia is an inclusive and equitable Corporation that encourages applications from qualified individuals of all genders, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and Indigenous persons. Appropriate accommodations will be provided upon request throughout the hiring process as required by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Information received relating to accommodation and diversity will be addressed confidentially.
Personal information is being collected under the authority of the Municipal Act and will be used to determine the qualifications for employment with The Corporation of the City of Sarnia. Questions about this collection should be directed to the City Clerk, 255 Christina St. N., Sarnia, ON N7T 7N2, 519-332-0330 ext. 3366.