Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop always viewed his firefighter dad as a hero.
Jessop, 53, the new chief and general manager of Toronto Fire Services, will take his white helmet on Jan. 2
The now deputy chief replaces Matthew Pegg, who led the department for nearly a decade, CityNews reported.
Jessop grew up watching his father, whom he is named for, climb into fire trucks as he worked at Fire Station 312 in Yorkville. The elder Jessop and his firefighting crew were in the vanguard against some of Toronto’s most devastating blazes, including the 1989 Rupert Hotel fire that killed 10 people and the 1976 Christie subway fire that destroyed four train cars and the station’s platform.
“My superheroes weren’t in Saturday morning cartoons. My favourite time as a child was spent watching them respond, listening to their stories as I got older, watching them take care of each other,” said Jessop about his father and his colleagues. “They were a family in that station.”
That familial style is how he will approach his duties as fire chief for the city, Jessop told the Star in an interview just hours after his appointment was announced.
He said his “main focus” will be supporting the thousands of people who work for Toronto Fire, from 9-1-1 operators to mechanics.
“I’m here to serve them. I really see my role as being their champion. If I can get them everything they need, that puts them in the best position to serve the citizens of Toronto.”
Securing the best training and tools, and working closely with the union to do so, will be a bulwark against more early firefighter deaths.
“The city is getting busier, the types of calls we’re going to are getting more dangerous,” he said. “It seems like every time we turn around we’re attending a funeral. Capt. Sean Coles just turned 50 and died of job-related cancer. His father worked with my father. Sean and I worked together. He gave his life for this job.
“That’s why I feel strongly about the responsibility I have to give our staff every protection they can possibly have.”
