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Deputy Fire Chief Karen Roche began her career in Emergency Services as an ICU Nurse with the Toronto General Hospital in 1989, performing in Medical Surgical ICU, and in addition to her experience as a Fire Fighter she is a fully licensed Registered Nurse (RN). Karen transitioned into the Burlington Fire Department in 1998, first acting as a Training Officer with the department, and acted in a number of roles related to High Angle Rope Rescue, Hazmat Training, and provided all medical training for Burlington Fire, and was the Project Manager for the acquisition and implementation of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems technologies for the agency in 1999. Karen subsequently worked for the Hamilton Fire Department, starting as Medical Coordinator in 2003, and performing her Fire Fighting duties with distinction, rising through the ranks to Assistant Deputy Chief in 2010. In 2014, Karen was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief at the Burlington Fire Department, and has provided outstanding leadership to the agency, receiving the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal from the Governor General in 2018. Karen also provides leadership as a certified Community Emergency Management Coordinator within the Ontario OFMEM organization. Deputy Fire Chief Roche is active in numerous charitable associations and professional associations, including the Women Fire Chiefs and Company Officers Network of Canada, is a Committee Member of the United Way Hamilton & Halton working on poverty reduction initiatives, works in the International Diversity Executive Leadership Program (iDELP) and volunteers extensively with the Salvation Army in Halton Region. Deputy Fire Chief Karen Roche is a graduate of both McMaster University and the DeGroote School of business programs on leadership and planning, and Queens University Labour Relations Program, and has added certificates and achievements with the Canadian Emergency Management College and the Justice Institute of British Columbia.