St Catharines gets a new Deputy Fire Chief

St Catharines has a new Deputy Fire Chief and she’s bringing decades of experience to her new role.

After the last five years with the Windsor Fire and Rescue Service, where she held a similar role, Andrea DeJong joined her new team this morning (August 3) and is looking forward to settling into the ‘Garden City’ community.

“I am looking forward to making St Catharines my new home and developing strong working relationships with the members of St. Catharines Fire Services and within the Niagara Region,” said DeJong.

Inspired by her father-in-law, a firefighter for more than 30 years, DeJong has been in the fire service for more than two decades, and will enjoy “the opportunity to help the community in different ways – from communications to emergency planning to fire prevention and more,” the city said in a release.

The city said DeJong is looking forward to bringing her experience to St. Catharines, “joining a solid management team, while also enjoying some of the amenities the City has to offer, including exploring the area’s natural features.”

(St Catharines is nicknamed the Garden City because of its 1,000 acres of parks, gardens, and trails.)

In one way, though, DeJong is planning to continue with some of the work she was doing in Windsor.

“I am also continuing my role as an advisor to the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs to bring the Next Generation 911 service into implementation, which will have an impact on the 911 service that the residents of Niagara Region utilize,” she said.

(Photo courtesy of St Catharines)