Halifax hires new fire chief, first woman to take job

The Halifax Regional Municipality has hired a new fire chief after a nationwide search, the first woman to hold the role.

On Monday, the municipality announced Deryn Rizzi will become the new chief of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency on Aug. 17. 

“I am honoured to join Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency and to serve alongside such a dedicated and respected team,” Rizzi said in a release. “Halifax’s fire service has a long and proud history, grounded in tradition, professionalism and service to the community.”

Rizzi said she looks forward to working with Halifax firefighters to “build on that strong foundation — maintaining a clear focus on operational expertise, firefighter safety, and the consistent delivery of exceptional fire and life safety services.”

The municipality’s acting chief administrative officer, Brad Anguish, said Rizzi emerged as an “exceptional candidate” out of the recruitment process, with extensive leadership experience and a strong commitment to public service.

A Halifax spokesperson confirmed that Rizzi is the first woman to take the chief’s role since the municipality’s amalgamation in 1996.

Rizzi started her career with Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service, in Vaughan, Ont., moving through the ranks to ultimately serve as fire chief, according to a release.

Most recently, Rizzi served as fire chief and director of Toronto Pearson Fire and Emergency Services, leading the service within Canada’s busiest international airport.

Before Pearson, Rizzi served as fire chief and director of emergency management for the city of Mississauga, Ont., where she led a workforce of more than 830 fire-service personnel.

There, she advanced “significant organizational transformation,” the release said, including the delivery of over $134 million in capital infrastructure projects, fleet and equipment procurement, and bringing in modern, data-driven performance systems that strengthened accountability, operational readiness and service delivery.

Brendan Meagher, president of the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters association, which represents most career firefighters in the municipality’s fire service, congratulated Rizzi on her appointment Monday.

Meagher said he’s spoken with people who have worked with Rizzi in the past, and said she comes “well-respected and highly-regarded.” He added Rizzi has been a supporter of firefighters and an advocate for improving services, which is what the union wants to see in Halifax.

“We have confidence that Chief Rizzi will be an advocate for public safety and comes with assurances that she works with people, and treats people well,” Meagher said in an interview.

“We want decisions that actually impact the service we provide, and the providers, and that was what we were asking for. And so we hope that Chief Rizzi will be as advertised.”

Former chief retired

Rizzi takes over the role from acting chief Dave Meldrum, who has held the position since October 2025, when former chief Ken Stuebing announced his retirement. Stuebing had been in the role for eight years.

The union called for a change in leadership last year, saying they lost faith in Stuebing in light of concerns about delayed wildfire training and staffing issues. They also said multiple incidents of racist, misogynistic and homophobic behaviour from managers went unaddressed by the department. 

On Monday, Meagher said he hopes Rizzi will help improve the department’s culture and create an environment where strong candidates want to enter management roles. He said a sign of success from Rizzi’s tenure will be if, after her time is up, there are good internal candidates within Halifax Fire that could take the top role.

While Meagher said it is important to recognize the historic nature of Rizzi’s hiring as the first woman to take the chief’s job, there is internal work to be done to be more welcoming and inclusive.

“Chief Rizzi represents progress for female firefighters, which is progress for everybody that works with the fire service,” Meagher said.

Meagher said about 70 of the union’s members are women, and Rizzi’s appointment could help them feel more confident seeking management roles.

Concerns around a toxic workplace culture within Halifax Fire have been raised before. In 2017, Stuebing delivered an apology to female firefighters who had faced decades of discrimination in the service.

Rizzi holds a PhD and a master’s degree in disaster and emergency management from York University, along with a bachelor of education and a bachelor of arts from Queen’s University. 

As Canada’s oldest fire department, Halifax Fire serves more than 500,000 residents throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality. It has 51 fire stations and more than 1,000 career and volunteer firefighters.

MORE TOP STORIES