The Administration Division of the Niagara Falls Fire Department is located on the upper level of the Fire Administration building at 5809 Morrison Street. The administrative staff consists of five personnel, including the Fire Chief, the Deputy Chief of Operations, the Deputy Chief of Administration, Executive Secretary, and Administrative Secretary.
For any administrative inquiries or to speak to one of the Chiefs, please call the Administration Office at 905-356-1321, ext. 2203 or 2230.
Lee Smith - Fire Chief
Chief Smith joined the Niagara Falls Fire Department in 1988 as a firefighter. He transferred to the Fire Prevention Division in 1993 and held the roles of Fire Prevention Officer and Captain. He was promoted to Assistant Chief in 1998 and appointed Fire Chief in 2007.
Lee’s responsibilities include all aspects of Fire Department operations and administration. As a member of the City’s Senior Staff Team, he provides support to other divisions and acts as a liaison on multi-jurisdictional matters.
Lee holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from Brock University, a Supervisory Studies Certificate from Mohawk College, an Advanced Fire Prevention Technology Diploma from the Ontario Fire College, is qualified as a Community Emergency Management Coordinator, is a Certified Engineering Technologist (CET), is a Certified Municipal Manager (CMM III) with Executive Fire Officer endorsement from the Ontario Municipal Management Institute, achieved the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and attained the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) designation from the National Fire Academy division of the Department of Homeland Security of the USA.
Also included in his duties, Lee is the Community Emergency Management Coordinator for Niagara Falls, is the Assistant Regional Fire Coordinator for the Niagara Region, is on the Provincial Emergency Management Community Coordinating Committee for Emergency Management Ontario and is a qualified instructor for Provincial Incident Management System course. Lee holds numerous titles in the Firefighter Combat Challenge physical competition including placing in the top 5 at the World Combat Challenge Championships in the Over 40, Relay and Chief categories.
Lee’s experience includes participation on various committees for the Niagara Regional Fire Chiefs, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, as well as cross-border committees to facilitate international emergencies.
Phil Ross - Deputy Fire Chief
Deputy Chief Ross began his career with the Fort Erie Fire Department in 1982 where he held the positions of Captain and District Deputy Chief prior to joining the Niagara Falls Fire Department in 1990. He transferred to the Training Division in 2002 assuming the role of Training Officer. He was promoted to Captain in 2004, Director of Training Division in August 2007 and appointed Deputy Chief in September 2007.
Phil’s responsibilities include the Suppression Division consisting of 220 firefighting personnel (115 Career, 105 Volunteer) staffing 6 fire stations, and the Training Division consisting of three full-time personnel.
Phil is a graduate of Ryerson University Public Administration and Governance program, Niagara College Law and Security Administration program and the Institute of Fire Engineers (GIFireE). Phil has attained certification as a Career Firefighter, Company Officer and Training Officer through the Ontario Fire College, is qualified as a Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC), is a Certified Municipal Manager (CMM III) with Fire Suppression Professional endorsement through the Ontario Municipal Management Institute and a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) through the National Association of Fire Investigators.
In addition to his duties with the Niagara Falls Fire Department, Phil is also a member of the Ontario Fire Marshal Advisory Board on Firefighter Survival, the Ontario Fire Marshal First Responder Task Force on Clandestine Labs and Marijuana Grow Operations and is a qualified instructor for the provincial Incident Management System course through Emergency Management Ontario. Phil holds a Hazardous Materials Specialist designation and is in charge of Operations for the Niagara Regional CBRNE Emergency Response Team.
Phil’s experience includes participation on committees for the Niagara Regional Fire Chiefs Association, member of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Emergency Managers, International Joint Committee on Emergency Management and the Ontario Incident Management Committee with the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition.
Jim Jessop - Deputy Fire Chief
Deputy Chief Jessop joined the Toronto Fire Department in 1996 as a firefighter. While working in Toronto he served in a number of the busiest fire stations in the country. Jim joined the Niagara Falls Fire Department in 2001 and transferred to the Fire Prevention Bureau shortly thereafter. He was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2007. Jim was seconded to the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal for a number of months in 2007 as the project manager for the development of the Community Safety Enhancements Unit (CSEU).
Jim’s responsibilities include responsibility for all aspects of fire prevention. Jim is also responsible for the communications division; including a complete technological renovation of the department’s communication and radio systems.
Jim holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Hons.) from the University of Western Ontario; a Fire Safety Certificate from Mohawk College; Company Officer, Training Officer and Fire Prevention Officer Diplomas from the Ontario Fire College; is qualified as a Community Emergency Management Coordinator and is a Certified Municipal Manager (CMM III) with Fire Prevention Professional endorsement from the Ontario Municipal Management Institute. Jim is completing his Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from the University of Western Ontario and is enrolled in the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program from the National Fire Academy division of the Department of Homeland Security of the USA.
Jim’s experience includes participation on various committees for the Niagara Regional Fire Chiefs, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. Jim is a member of the NFPA 1730 technical committee and was appointed by the Ontario Fire Marshal to the Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council and Chair of the Judicial and Legislative Task Force for the Provincial Advisory Group for Clandestine Drug Operations.