Organizational Structure 

Quick Overview

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency is dedicated to enhancing and preserving the quality of life, property and environment through education, leadership and effective response emergencies.  This service is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week staffed by career and volunteer fire fighters.  Fire crews responded to 11,820 emergency responses in 2007/2008.

With 254 years of service, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency is the oldest fire department in Canada. The 380,000 residents of HRM are protected daily by a total of 1,129 career and volunteer firefighters who operate out of 59 fire stations that span across approximately 5,600 square kilometres. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly the size of Prince Edward Island! To cover such a large area, a fleet of 153 front line apparatus including engines, aerials, rescues and tactical support are in operation.

Today, activities extend far beyond emergency fire response, and into community emergency preparedness. Specialized services including Urban Search and Rescue, Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials Teams have been created, and we’ve been working with the RCMP, HRPD, Military Police, EMO and other agencies in forming a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) response team.

The many non-emergency services that Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency provide include Corporate Safety, public awareness, inspections, investigations, technical expertise and training provided to the public and to other HRM business units.

Doing our part in the community, we’ve also fostered relationships with organizations such as the Safe Communities Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Parker Street Food Bank, the Burn Treatment Society and the Salvation Army, as well as working partnerships with the other levels of government.

Mission Statement

Dedicated to enhance and preserve the quality of life, property and environment through education, leadership, partnerships and

effective response to emergencies.

Vision Statement

Giving our community exemplary service while sharing the responsibility with our citizens to develop a safe environment.

Values

• Trust - as the foundation for growth and development
• Dedication - as our motivation to excel
• Integrity - as the standard of reliability to our commitments
• Caring - as a basis of what we do
• Diversity - as a strength of our service and community

Guiding Principles

• Honesty - Through our words and actions
• Accountability - Accepting individual and collective responsibility
• Competency - Ability and energy to achieve tasks in an efficient manner
• Dependability - The ability to rely on each other
• Fairness - Maintaining open and impartial attitudes
• Acceptance - Value diversity by drawing on each other
• Communication - Speak openly, listen carefully, explain fully, and strive to understand

Strategic Directions

• Communications - Develop a plan to enhance active participation that leads to understanding and acceptance
• Personnel Development - Develop a structure that identifies and supports individuals and departmental needs
• Leadership - Create an environment where all individuals accept their respective responsibility
• Strategic Alliances - Encourage and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships