Larry Watkinson has held a chief officer rank in the fire service for over 18 years. He is currently a board member and director for the Fire Chiefs’ Association of BC, Career Chief Sector. Larry is also a member of the Provincial all Hazards Command Staff for Emergency Management BC. and Structure Protection Specialist for BC Wildfire Service and has been deployed to a number of large provincial events. As a fire service leader, he has earned professional designations of Professional Manager (P.Mgr), and Chartered Manager (C.Mgr) from the Canadian Institute of Management, and Executive Chief Fire Officer (ECFO) designation from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. Larry, along with his K9 companion Sam, is a volunteer K9-Disater Dog handler for Burnaby Firefighters Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team and has deployed to events both domestically and internationally for search and rescue efforts.

With over 21 years of experience in fire and emergency services and the private industry, Sherry carries extensive experience in conducting financial, organizational and operational reviews of a company’s structure. As Fire Chief and Director of St. John’s Regional Fire Department, she is responsible for managing the overall operations, which includes of six divisions, eight fire stations, about 200 firefighters and 30 support staff.

As part of her previous roles as manager, 911 & Fire Prevention and Management Analyst, she also provided management advisory services regarding how to effectively and efficiently use financial and physical resources in order to assist the department in the attainment of goals and objectives. Sherry’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Russian Language from Memorial University, and certification in NFPA Firefighter Level II.

Scott Davis has over 18 years of experience in both Emergency Management and Continuity of Operations across health care and municipal government sectors in Alberta and Ontario, as well as contracted services with provincial governments. Scott has served as a Chief Officer for both Kingston Fire & Rescue and Ontario and Wood Buffalo - Fort McMurray Regional Emergency Services in Alberta.

His emergency management career started in public health planning for human health emergencies, including contributing to one of Ontario's first Pandemic Influenza Plans. In addition, he served four years as a sessional professor for an Ontario college Emergency Management Graduate Certificate Program. Scott's expertise includes roles in which he has restructured emergency management departments and programs. As Incident Commander (IC) he led the emergency response to the 2020 Fort McMurray Alberta 1:100 year flood, as well as the IC for various severe weather, critical infrastructure failure, hazardous material, fire, landslide, train derailment, and pipeline related incidents. Scott is Manager, Emergency Management & Continuity of Operations at Western University in addition to his role as Vice President, Program Services for Community Disaster Response Ontario (CDRO). He currently serves as a Director on the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) - Canada Council. Scott has a Master of Arts in Leadership from the University of Guelph, continues to mentor students, and furthers his studies in leadership in crisis incidents.

Tom DeSorcy became the first paid firefighter in his hometown of Hope, B.C., when he became fire chief and emergency program coordinator in 2000. During Tom’s tenure as fire chief, he has managed an ice storm, a catastrophic wind event, three train derailments, and numerous multi-vehicle/multi-casualty events. Most recently, Tom served as operations chief as part of the emergency management team that lead the municipality through an atmospheric river event that closed all five of Hope’s access points through town, stranding some 1500 travellers while their own population was on evacuation alert due to rising rivers. Tom is very active with the Fire Chiefs’ Association of British Columbia as communications director and conference committee chair.

Jeff Weber started in the fire service in 1992 and worked through the ranks to become a Deputy Chief in Kitchener, Ontario in 2007. Jeff moved on to different departments including Burlington Fire and Barrie Fire Service and has settled in Cornwall, Ontario where he was recently promoted to Fire Chief. With 15 years fire service leadership and emergency management, Jeff brings a unique combination of experiences.

Kirk Hughes is currently the Director of Protective Services/Fire Chief for the County of Vermilion River in Alberta. Previously, Kirk served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as several fire services and emergency management agencies across Ontario, Manitoba, Southern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Having worked in the extreme weather conditions of Canada’s Arctic, from the blistering cold to the devasting heat that cumulated in the worst forest fire season in the Northwest Territories history (2014), Kirk has first-hand knowledge of how to prepare for, and respond to, situations in adverse environmental conditions. Fighting fires from the high north to the arid regions of Southern Alberta, including the significant Waterton/Kenow Fire, Kirk has gained a unique perspective as it relates to climate adaption for the fire service.