Toronto’s city council on Friday unanimously appointed Jim Jessop as the new chief and general manager of Toronto Fire Services (TFS).
Jessop was formerly the deputy fire chief and director of operations, training and technical operations with TFS. He earlier served as acting fire chief and general manager from August 2020 to April 2022.
He will take over the fire chief role from Matthew Pegg, who formally retired in October. Pegg was the head of TFS for nearly a decade and announced he would leave the role in May.
As TFS fire chief, Pegg earned a $320,022 salary last year, according to the Ontario Sunshine List.
Jessop will officially take the position on Jan. 2, 2025.
He will be responsible for oversight of all aspects of TFS operations. In a news release, the city said Jessop must uphold the TFS “mission to protect life, property and the environment through education, prevention and emergency response.”
He has 30 years of firefighting, emergency response and safety management experience.
The city said Jessop led the development of the TFS capital and operating budget in 2021 and 2022. He also championed the review of new recruitment and promotion processes within the TFS, a move the city said resulted in an increase of applicants from “equity deserving groups.”
Jessop also served as Toronto’s COVID-19 incident commander in March 2020, and remained in the role for two years.
City manager Paul Johnson called Jessop “an accomplished, strategic and passionate public sector leader who has long shown his commitment to excellence.”
“I am confident that Jim will use his nearly 30 years of experience daily to keep our communities safe,” he said.
In a statement, Jessop thanked the city council for entrusting him to lead TFS.
“Together, we will continue to protect residents, visitors and businesses against all hazards through preparedness, prevention, public education and emergency response,” he said.
TFS is the largest fire service in Canada.
