Oakville fire chief’s burning for learning started in Sheridan business program

As a student in Sheridan’s Retail Management diploma program, Paul Boissonneault learned more about fire sales than fire prevention.

Little did he know at the time that earning a Sheridan business credential would be the first rung on the ladder towards a career that has seen him become one of Canada’s youngest fire chiefs, serve in the Department of National Defence, advocate for legal reform in the House of Commons, be named the country’s Career Fire Chief of the Year, receive commemorative medals named after King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, and more.

“A postsecondary diploma in business... that paved the way for everything else. I don't know if I'd have been so committed to lifelong learning if I hadn't studied at Sheridan.”

“Stepping outside of my comfort zone and challenging myself to get a postsecondary diploma in business... that paved the way for everything else,” says Boissonneault, who has served as the Town of Oakville’s Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator for the past four years after holding similar positions with the County of Brant and the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio. “I don’t know if I’d have been so committed to lifelong learning if I hadn't studied at Sheridan.”

College was time ‘to get serious about school’

Today, Boissonneault’s credentials are far too many to list. Among them: a Company Officer diploma from the Ontario Fire College (a program that typically takes six or more years to complete, but Boissonneault blazed through it in fewer than 23 months); a Bachelor of Fire and Safety Studies from the Justice Institute of British Columbia; and numerous certifications from the National Fire Protection Association, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, Red Cross, National Emergency Safety Services, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and many other organizations.

Boissonneault’s five-page CV makes it difficult to believe that hockey was his primary focus as a young adult, not education. As a teen, he played several seasons in the Canadian Hockey League and Greater Ontario Junior B Hockey League, then headed east to the University of New Brunswick where he studied general physical education and “was there more for hockey and fun.”

His priorities suddenly shifted when his father became ill and Boissonneault had to return home to Alliston, Ont., to run the family paint contracting business. “That’s when I realized I had to get serious about school,” says Boissonneault, who dabbled in retail after graduating from Sheridan in 1994 — landing management track positions with The Bay and Future Shop — before moving back to the Alliston area to start his own painting and contracting business. Within a few years, he had grown that company to the point where he had 40 employees.

Boissonneault hadn’t even considered pursuing a career in fire services until 1998, when he stumbled up on an ad seeking volunteer firefighters. Boissonneault joined the Everett Fire Station the following year, was immediately hooked by the meaningful work (and the camaraderie of a team, something he missed from his junior hockey days), and eagerly began taking as many training courses as he could. In 2002, he started shiftwork as a career firefighter at nearby Canadian Forces Base Borden.

By 2004, when Adjala-Tosorontio's fire chief stepped down, Boissonneault — then just 32 years old — was already the most academically credentialled and qualified in-house candidate to replace him. “Typically, there’s no way that you’re ready to be a fire chief after just five years of fire service,” he says. “But I was afforded that opportunity because my Sheridan business diploma and experience running my own business demonstrated my ability to handle a budget, plus I had the fire service perspective covered with my Company Officer certification.”

‘Never stop learning’

Boissonneault's unextinguishable burning for learning has helped him both create and be prepared for career-advancing opportunities ever since.

If he hadn’t consistently sought out chances to network with industry veterans, he might not have met former Hamilton fire chief Rob Simonds, who recommended Boissonneault run for a board position on the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC). If Boissonneault hadn’t served on the CAFC's board for 10 years (including as president from 2013–16), he might not have heard from association treasurer and former Oakville fire chief Lee Grant about a deputy chief vacancy in Oakville, where Boissonneault would become the Town’s fire chief just four years later.

And while Boissonneault credits Sheridan for unlocking his passion for learning, his business education continues to inform how he oversees an operating budget of $45 million, capital budget of $25M and team of 258 fire service professionals.

“Not everyone knows right away where they fit. The key is to never stop learning, continuously push yourself, and be ready to want and accept opportunity.”

“I took an amazing program at Sheridan that is still valuable to me 30 years later,” he says. “I didn’t end up loving retail, but my business diploma provided foundational knowledge in small business, advertising, management, leadership, accounting, data processing, human relations and more. In fact, I don’t think you could be a fire chief without a business background.

“It’s a very challenging world that we live in, and not everyone knows right away where they fit. The key is to never stop learning, continuously push yourself, and be ready to want and accept opportunity.”

Pictured in body of story: Paul Boissonneault receives the 2024 Career Fire Chief of the Year Award from Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs president Ken McMullen (left) and Fire Underwriters Survey vice-president Michael Currie (right). Photo courtesy of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.

Sheridan and the Oakville Fire Department have a long-standing partnership that has seen them co-host events promoting student housing safety (both on- and off-campus), community fairs, marketplaces for safety and settlement, Pride, holiday safety and more. Last year, Oakville Fire donated more than 140 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for use of Sheridan students adjusting to life away from home for the first time.