The City of Mississauga has selected Deryn Rizzi as its Fire Chief and Director, Emergency Management effective February 2, 2021. Ms. Rizzi replaces Tim Beckett who retired last year.
“I am excited to have Deryn at the City of Mississauga and my thanks to Nancy Macdonald-Duncan for her leadership as Acting Chief during the transition period. Deryn brings a wide range of experience at the federal, provincial and municipal level in leading day-to-day operations and also in strategic support for all areas of the fire service,” said Shari Lichterman, Commissioner, Community Services. “Beyond her work in fire halls, Chief Rizzi is a trusted, respected and sought-after thought leader, committed to mentoring and educating about proven and emerging best practices on emergency preparedness and response. We are proud to welcome her as Mississauga’s first permanent female Fire Chief.”
Chief Rizzi has 20 years’ experience in the fire service, beginning her career in the City of Vaughan as a firefighter and gaining progressive roles including Deputy Fire Chief and most recently as Fire Chief. Her work at Vaughan garnered many awards including the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) Innovative Management Award, the Portraits of Giving recipient, and Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Fire Service Women of Ontario.
She will be the head of more then 700 staff members, and 21 stations in Mississauga.
Her career highlights include working in the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre in the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management where she provided leadership and guidance on operations, education and training related to emergencies.
Chief Rizzi completed a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University and graduated from York University with both a Master of Arts, Disaster and Emergency Management and a Disaster and Emergency Management Certificate. Chief Rizzi has completed a Diploma in Public Administration from Western University and holds a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from the Schulich School of Business.
She is also a graduate of the Ontario Fire College and has extensive teaching credentials at Humber College, George Brown College, York University and the Ontario Fire College, to name a few.
Chief Rizzi has had numerous speaking engagements including “Using Social Media to Inspire Fire Service Women to Lead and Encourage Empowerment” at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Leadership Symposium and “Understanding and Supporting our LGBTQ+ Community” at the Fire Rescue International Conference.
Chief Rizzi served as the Vice President of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, she chaired the Human Relations Committee for the International Association of Fire Chiefs and is a member of the Hospice Vaughan Board of Directors.
