FCABC Conference

Matthew Pegg is the Fire Chief in the City of Toronto. Toronto Fire Services is the largest fire service in Canada and one of the largest in North America, with more than 3,300 career staff who respond to more than 184,000 emergency incidents each year.

From March 2020 through April 2022, Chief Pegg served as the City of Toronto's COVID-19 Incident Commander, leading the development and continued operation of one of the most complex incident management systems in North American history. This included leading the longest-ever continuous deployment of Toronto’s Emergency Operations Centre, as well as the development and operation of Toronto's COVID-19 Immunization Task Force and development of the Provincial playbook for vaccine clinic operations.

Prior to being appointed as Fire Chief in Toronto, Chief Pegg served as a Deputy Fire Chief in Toronto, Brampton, Ajax and Georgina, and he is also a licensed mechanic and a commercial pilot, having also worked in both industries.

Chief Pegg is a graduate of Dalhousie University in both Leadership and Administration, Queen’s University in Labour Relations and the Schulich School of Business' in Public Management. He is a recipient of the Heroism and Community Service Medal, Ontario Medal of Firefighter’s Bravery, the Canadian Fire Service Exemplary Service Medal and the Ontario Fire Services Long Service medal.
Chief Pegg has been awarded the Executive Chief Fire Officer Professional Designation and serves as Honourary Aide de Camp to Her Honour, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Chief Pegg volunteers his time and expertise as a Board Member with both the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management and Lay-Up Youth Basketball and is proud to serve as an ambassador for Wounded Warriors Canada.

Chief Pegg previously served 13 years on the Board of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, serving the last three years of his tenure as President, where he developed the implemented the “One Message - One Voice” government relations strategy.

Chief Pegg is a co-author of the Leadership Forum in Fire Fighting in Canada Magazine and is a highly sought-after international speaker, trainer and leadership expert who frequently works with both public and private sector executives on developing and implementing transformational leadership and management strategies.

Dr. David Griffin is the Assistant Chief of Administration in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the operator of the first due engine on June 18, 2007, when nine of his fellow firefighters perished. He has come through the ranks in Operations in every uniformed position from Firefighter to Assistant Chief during his 18-year career in Charleston. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in education from The Citadel, a Master’s Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership, and a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership and Development. He is the author of the bestseller In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy, among three other books. Griffin is also an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer (CFO) and Chief Training Officer (CTO) with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an IFSAC/Pro Board-certified Fire Officer IV, a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO) from the National Fire Academy, a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Executive Education program: Senior Executives in State and Local Government, a graduate of the Psychology of Leadership program from Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson College of Business, and a graduate of Yale University’s School of Management Values Based Leadership program. He is currently completing the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) through the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). In 2013, David began speaking on leadership, development, and mental health. He has spoken in 44 states in the United States, plus Canada and Mexico at over 800 organizations in three different languages to 200,000 plus attendees at fire departments, police departments, military installations, universities, conferences, private industry organizations, law firms, business corporations, manufacturers, as well as charity events. He is the owner of On A Mission Inspirational Speaking at drdavidgriffin.com and On A Mission Coffee at onamissioncoffee.com.

Laura King is the NFPA’s regional director for Canada. Laura has lived and worked across Canada as a reporter and editor. She joined NFPA in 2017 as the public education representative for Canada and was promoted in 2022 to regional director. Laura is based in the Greater Toronto Area, is from Cape Breton, and enjoys every opportunity to travel across Canada!

Jason serves as the Fire Chief for the growing community of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nations. Jason led hundreds of firefighters through the devastating McDougall Creek Wildfire in the summer of 2023. Previously, Jason served as Deputy Fire Chief with the Kelowna Fire Department. Jason has been involved in emergency services for the past 28 years. He was directly involved in the emergency management component of major wildfires and floods in British Columbia and as a Venue Fire Commander during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Jason holds a Bachelor degree in Technology with a specialization in Emergency Management. He has been awarded the British Columbia Provincial Fire Services Long Service Medal and the Canadian Fire Services Exemplary Services Medal. In 2022, Jason was named West Kelowna Citizen of the Year. Jason is passionate about protecting communities from Wildfire and serves on the board of the Fire Chiefs Association of British Columbia.

Dr. Kirstin Dolby, PhD opened Head Strong Counselling Services & Academy of Traumatology in 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counselling, and a PhD in Counseling & Psychological Studies with a focus on trauma from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA.

Kirstin is a Registered Clinical Counsellor – Approved Clinical Supervisor with BCACC, a Certified Canadian Counsellor with CCPA, a Certified First Responder Counselor with Academy Hour, Certified Clinical Traumatologist with the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, and Certified EMDR Therapist with EMDRIA. She specializes in working with survivors and first responders, including international deployments. As of fall 2022, Kirstin primarily works as a full-time Faculty Lead at Yorkville University. She offers ongoing mental health support through direct referral for first responders, supervision of intern/practicum students, and training workshops in collaboration with other organizations.

Outside of the counselling office, Kirstin is a Firefighter with the Courtenay Volunteer Fire Department graduating with the recruitment class of 2022/23. Kirstin lives in beautiful Courtenay, BC on Vancouver Island with her husband of twenty-one years and their four boys. And, of course, in her “spare” time Kirstin can be found on the sidelines coaching her sons’ rugby teams or in any region of the globe volunteering her time to help fill the gap in mental health care.

Tim is a former fire chief, CAO, and past president of the FCABC. He is now the principal of Tim Pley & Associates Ltd, a consulting firm.
Rae-Ann Emery is a former local government Human Resources and Corporate Services professional, who specializes in the Fire sector.

John established his organizational development consulting practice in the summer of 2018 after 31 years in municipal government. His consulting work includes labour relations support, leadership training, designing and implementing human resources programs (performance planning, policies and procedures, engagement activities), department reviews, conflict resolution, and coaching. John is an instructor in the public administration division at Capilano University and is a frequent presenter at MATI and LGMA events. He is also an Insights Discovery Licensed Practitioner.
He is a proud member of the small, but mighty group of municipal chief administrative officers whose background and training was in human resources. His passion is in helping individuals, teams, and organizations to grow and improve.
John’s professional career started in a Winnipeg slaughterhouse as a human resources generalist. His working conditions improved greatly when he joined the city of New Westminster where he began his years in municipal service.
John left the city of New Westminster to become the director human resources at the city of Maple Ridge where he enjoyed 17 productive years. The last eight of those years were in the role of deputy chief administrative officer. In September 2012 John joined the city of Port Coquitlam as its chief administrative officer.
John has a BCOM from UBC, specializing in Industrial Relations, and an MBA from SFU where he wrote his provocatively titled thesis “Does Size Matter: An Analysis of the Rationale for Municipal Amalgamation in Canada.” He is a contributing author to the book The Role of Canadian City Managers In Their Own Words (University of Toronto Press 2023).
John is often seen walking the parks and trails of Port Coquitlam attempting to get his two Golden Retrievers to walk nicely on their leashes.

With over two decades of distinguished service as a fire chief, the founder of Silver Arrow Coaching and Consulting now channels his extensive experience into empowering high performers grappling with burnout and resilience challenges. Transitioning from the frontline of emergency services to the forefront of personal development, he specializes in holistic coaching, addressing the intricate balance of body, mind, and spirit. His unique approach incorporates tension-releasing exercises (TRE), aligning physical well-being with mental and emotional resilience. As an advocate for leadership, mental health, and organizational well-being, his insights are deeply rooted in the real-world demands faced by first responders, healthcare professionals, educators, and parents. Author of "Burnt Around the Edges - A Guide to Mastering Stress and Surviving Burnout," his work extends beyond coaching to include workshops, seminars, keynotes, and online courses designed to equip individuals with the tools to master stress and rediscover joy. Passionate about sharing his knowledge through various mediums, including podcasts, blogs, and social media, he aims to be a beacon of hope and guidance for those navigating the complexities of high-stress careers. With a commitment to fostering leadership and organizational health, he is recognized as a thought leader in burnout and resilience.

Glenn serves as the Fire Marshal for the City of Calgary with a team of over 40 Fire Inspectors, 10 Fire Investigators, 1 Accelerant Detection Canine and a team of incredible support staff they complete over 18,000 fire inspections annually and nearly 3000 fire investigations in 2023. In his previous time as a Fire Chief, Hazardous Materials Technician, and as a Master Electrician with his inter-provincial Red Seal as well as years of Fire Investigations including hundreds of fire and explosion investigations the recent exponential growth in the high-capacity energy storage systems and battery usage has become an area of great interest while clearly focused on public safety.

Eric is the Director of Progressive Fire Solutions Ltd, a company that provides training and consulting in special operations, incident management, and leadership to departments across Western Canada. Eric is also the Captain of Operations for Canada Task Force 1 HUSAR, and a Lieutenant with Vancouver Fire Rescue Special Operations. Eric is a principal committee member on numerous NFPA standards and has presented at conferences across Canada and the US.

Over 28 years in the Fire Service including service with the Special Operations Team, HUSAR, K9, Heavy Rescue, Dispatch and Fire Boats. Jeff has served in the ranks of FF, Lt, Capt., Training Officer and Assistant Chief, with Vancouver and Abbotsford respectively.