York Region's first deputy fire chief takes up post in Vaughan

Vaughan Citizen
January 22, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Deryn Rizzi is blazing a trail for women in York Region.

The 38-year-old mother of two was named deputy fire chief in Vaughan last month, making her the first female in York region to achieve that rank, according to city officials.

“I think you’re successful in a career when it’s your passion. My career has been my life in terms of trying to educate myself, better myself, to get to the point where I am now,” Mrs. Rizzi, a longtime Newmarket resident, said. “Sometimes, I’ve had to put my family on the back seat for my career or for my schooling. I’m very fortunate that I have a very supportive family and I’m here because my family have supported me the whole way.”

Mrs. Rizzi also credits those she’s served alongside with helping her get to where she is today.

“It’s not just my success, it’s the success of the people who chose to mentor me and coach me and teach me how to be a better firefighter, how to be a better acting captain, how to be a better supervisor, so I could reach this place,” she said. “As much as the schooling, and everything else helps, that is the most important.”

Mrs. Rizzi, who grew up in Markham, earned a bachelor’s degree and a teaching degree from Queen’s University.

She began her career as a teacher in York Region, but after a few years decided it was time for a change.

“I fell into teaching because both my parents were teachers, my older sister was a teacher. Not that it was expected, it was just that’s what I saw, that’s what I knew,” Mrs. Rizzi said. “When I was teaching, although I do love children and I do love teaching, I wanted something a little bit more physically active because at that time I was an athlete.”

A former member of Canada’s triathlon team, Mrs. Rizzi competed at three world championships. She was also part of Ontario’s cycling team and competed at the national level.

Hoping to do something more adventurous, she considered joining the police force. But then a firefighter she swam with on a masters swim team, suggested she think about a career in firefighting.

Vaughan’s fire department was hiring at the time, so Mrs. Rizzi, along with about 2,500 others, applied for one of 16 spots. She landed one of them.

From there she rose through the ranks, becoming an acting captain in 2009, a captain in 2013, and now deputy fire chief.

Along the way, Mrs. Rizzi spent a lot of time educating herself and others.

She holds a masters degree in disaster and emergency management and is currently working on a doctorate at York University.

Mrs. Rizzi has also achieved the highest level of incident command qualifications in Canada and the United States, among myriad other certifications.

She’s also worked at the Office of the Fire Marshall and Emergency Management Ontario.

Mrs. Rizzi continued putting her teaching skills to work at Durham College, Georgian College, George Brown College and York University as an instructor for courses in firefighting and emergency management.

And she clearly loves her job.

“You get a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction out of helping people,” Mrs. Rizzi said. “It’s all about the people you serve, it’s all about customer service.”

Fire Chief Larry Bentley said Mrs. Rizzi’s education and experience make her a “good fit” for the deputy chief’s job.

“We vetted some high-quality applicants and, at the end of the day, the best applicant for our organization was in our house,” he said. “Deryn is a 12-year veteran of our service and her education speaks for itself. Academically, she’s exceptional and she brings skills from EMO (Emergency Management Ontario). Her organizational skills are just incredible also.”

As deputy chief of support services, Mrs. Rizzi will be in charge of public education, fire prevention, training and communications.

“When I was hired on, the City of Vaughan Fire Rescue Service was known as the best fire department in Ontario,” she said. “So I look forward to maintaining that standard and that level of respect in the province.”

Vaughan hired its first frontline female firefighter in 1991. There have been major strides since then, but firefighting remains a male dominated profession.

In Vaughan, however, everyone is treated equally, Mrs. Rizzi said.

“We don’t look at this as a gender-based job as much as people from the outside looking in might,” she said. “There’s not a subgroup of female firefighters because, at the end of the day, it’s someone in bunker gear with a helmet on and a breathing apparatus. It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s just that person who is willing to put their life on the line for your life.”

A self-described “competitive person,” Mrs. Rizzi aspires to someday reach the top ranks.

“I don’t believe that’s unattainable,” she said. “Eventually, I will be a fire chief.”

And to all those young girls out there considering their future careers, she offers this advice:

“Educate yourself, work hard, follow your passion, have drive and determination — and make yourself the best person you can be.”