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Josh Hennessy (MPA ’24, Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership) is a devoted fire safety professional, proudly serving his community. He brings his knowledge and passion for fire safety as a valued instructor for the Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development.

His professional career began in the financial sector. After 11 years, he followed his passion and transitioned into fire safety. His ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ journey began in 2018. The programs offered at ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ matched the skills he was eager to gain in pursuit of a new career in public safety. Hennessy has been able to bring the skills and knowledge gained from earning his Master of Public Administration last year and, more recently, his Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership.  His proudest milestone was successfully completing the Qualified Platoon Chief Roster for the Saint John Fire Department.  The roster evaluates the ability to perform at the highest levels within the Operations Division of the fire department and is a requisite to lead a platoon. He attributes this success to what he learned at ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ and now imparts his knowledge to professionals furthering their careers as an instructor for the Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development’s Station Officer Essentials: People & Operations and The Environment of the Fire Station courses.

His journey demonstrates the value of continued learning, establishing connections, and taking action towards a career goal.

1) What inspired you to make a career transition from the financial sector to fire safety?

I have always enjoyed teamwork and problem-solving.  My work in the financial sector introduced me to the importance of those skills and competencies, however, I felt a gap in fulfillment and wanted to contribute more to the community.  A career in fire safety has afforded me the opportunity to work with a diverse team of public safety professionals, all vested in bettering fire safety for the public.  Fire safety is rooted in problem-solving, whether it be from community risk reduction, through effective prevention and public education programs, to emergency response, working with those in need, and mitigating immediate hazards.  My team helps people daily as frontline service providers and that is incredibly rewarding to be a part of. 

2) Since pursuing this career path, what positions have you held?

I began my fire service journey in 2011 by starting as a student in a pre-employment program.  Since then, I’ve served in two departments in New Brunswick.  Having learned a lot along the way, I’m proud to have held various roles. This includes serving as a volunteer firefighter, training officer, holiday relief firefighter, administrative officer, manager of analytics, risk management, and support, as well as my current role as Platoon Chief.

3) What has been the biggest change in your field in recent years?

The biggest change in the fire safety field is the recognition of the people component of the fire service.  After all, this service is delivered by brave, caring, dedicated people.  There is a greater emphasis on leadership development, firefighter safety, and mental health and wellness initiatives.  Many fire departments are prioritizing investments in their personnel at all ranks, including enhancements to or new technology, development of hard and soft skills, and increased resources to support health and wellness initiatives. This ensures that the community has a compassionate, ready, and safe fire service.

4) How did the Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership benefit your career?

The Diploma in Executive Fire Leadership enabled me to learn from the greater fire service community through an awesome network of peers as a student and instructor.  The course format encourages a safe space to share experiences and knowledge with other fire service professionals.  The course material applied to my roles, and I was able to apply the best practices learned to impact my fire department positively.

5) What would be your greatest strength in the field of fire safety?

My greatest strength would be my curiosity.  Gathering information and engaging people is critically important in decision-making, whether it be on an emergency scene while creating an incident action plan, conflict resolution in a fire station, change management initiatives, or seeking solutions and input to better serve the community.  The more we encourage curiosity and create a safe environment for questions, the better prepared the fire service will be to meet changing community needs.

6) What’s the most surprising thing we might see on your resume/CV?

The most surprising thing on my resume would be the two recognition awards in emergency management that I received for incidents that occurred within the Saint John community.  I received an Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award from Public Safety Canada after a record-setting spring flooding and a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Saint John following a cyberattack.  Both incidents were outside the scope of practice of a traditional fire response. However, with the experience I had in incident management I was able to contribute as part of a collaborative team that was focused on solving these problems for the community.

7) How do you unwind?

I spend as much time outside as possible with my family while biking, skiing, hiking, fishing, and golfing.  Living in Atlantic Canada, we are fortunate to have access to lots of green space, trails, and waterways. I prioritize putting time into exploring these great resources as much as I can.

8) What's the best aspect of teaching with the Faculty?

Being part of a team—the Faculty is very welcoming and supportive. The group of people I work with are very people-focused and professional.  They are open to new ideas and readily provide feedback to ensure growth for myself and students.  The Faculty’s team approach to curriculum development and course delivery is a motivating, safe space to grow personally and positively contribute to the greater fire service community.