SASKATOON – Saskatoon Fire Chief Morgan Hackl has been named National Fire Chief of the Year. He was presented with the award by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs on Sept. 19.
Chief Hackl was recognized for reimagining and expanding the roles of Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) in non-traditional public safety initiatives through community collaboration and outreach partnerships. By embracing creative solutions and out-of-the box thinking, SFD continually found new ways to support and provide leadership in community safety.
"Chief Hackl is a true community leader,” said Saskatoon City Manager, Jeff Jorgenson in a prepared statement. “He gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges to the most vulnerable in the community he serves, participating this year in the Sanctum Survivor Challenge, where he spent 36 hours living as if homeless on the streets of Saskatoon.”
Jorgenson said Chief Hackl recognizes that community challenges are a shared responsibility, and that Saskatoon Fire Department plays a key role in the community’s most challenging issues. From his role as a strong mentor and supporter of Saskatoon Fire Executive Officers, to his leadership throughout the Covid-19 pandemic - specifically his team putting in place an Incident Management structure to assist over 50 community agencies working with Saskatoon’s most vulnerable.
Jorgenson also praised Chief Hackl’s ability to forge important relationships, such as his partnership building between Saskatchewan Health Authority and Saskatoon Fire to establish an Overdose Outreach Team comprised of Saskatoon Fire Primary Care Paramedics and SHA Addictions Counsellors is another example of his unique and innovative approach. Jorgenson added that Hackl believes in and supports a whole-community Emergency Management and Community Risk Reduction approach that engages all partners in problem solving and shared leadership.
“It takes vision and courage to lead the way Chief Hackl does and as an organization we congratulate him on this much deserved recognition.”
Hackl has been a member of the Saskatoon Fire Department for 35 years, starting as a firefighter and moving up to captain. He later served as battalion chief and assistant chief before being promoted to his current role in 2015.
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