About

About Us

Representing professional firefighters in Ontario is not new. Our parent body, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) was formed in 1918, with the first provincial organization created in 1920, known then as the Provincial Federation of Ontario Fire Fighters (PFOFF), and now as the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA).

Our Mission is to provide leadership and support that improves the work and lives of Ontario’s fire service professionals.

Our Core Values are Respect, Integrity, Dedication, Dialogue, and Collaboration

The OPFFA is an Association Run For and By the Membership.

The Principal officers (President and Secretary-Treasurer) are elected by a per capita voting basis where the local votes in its previous 12-month average membership size. Four Zone Directors are elected through a proportionate voting system within their respective zone, and the Zone Director for Toronto is appointed by the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA).

OPFFA Board of Directors

		President, Greg Horton Greg is a 22 year member of the Richmond Hill Fire & Emergency Services and holds the rank of Captain. Greg served the Richmond Hill Professional Fire Fighters Association L-1957 for 17 years as a Steward, Vice-President and 14 years as Local President. He also served at the OPFFA as a Member & Chair of the Education Committee, and at the IAFF as an Advocate. Greg is passionate about the labour movement and representing Fire Fighters, and proudly looks forward to serving the OPFFA membership as the President.
		Secretary-Treasurer, Bob McCutcheon Bob is a career firefighter that has been employed with Clarington Emergency and Fire Services since 1994 and currently holds the rank of Platoon Chief. He has a proven track record as a previous Association President, Economic Policy Committee Chair, Education Seminar Instructor, IAFF Interest Arbitration Advocate, OPFFA Bargaining Field Service Representative and current IAFF Principle Representative on the NFPA 1720 Standards committee. His reputation for listening before acting, performing research before responding and working collaboratively with others to create solutions has served associations as small as 10 and as large as 950 successfully for many years. As the OPFFA Secretary-Treasurer, he has pledged to ensure that the organization works efficiently on behalf of its members. Whether that comes in the form of financial integrity. per capita expense control, or ensuring the services provided to the membership and their locals are valuable and revered.
		Zone 1 Director, Peter Dyson Peter has been with the Oshawa Fire Service for over 14 years and currently serves as the President of the Oshawa Professional Fire Fighters Association IAFF local 465. Prior to serving as President Peter has held numerous roles within the local including Vice President, Grievance Committee Chair, Government Relations Committee Chair, Trustee and served on numerous other committees. During his tenure as President Peter has provided strategic leadership during a time of unprecedented change and transformation through advocacy, collaborative partnerships and strategic campaigns. He has partnered with the IAFF to support 2 GIS analysis regarding Oshawa Fire Services, engaged other IAFF resources to leverage the locals' resources and develop a comprehensive communications strategy/ public relations campaign. He has developed a communications and public relations campaign that has led to new strategic partnerships with community organizations and senior officials within the City. He has engaged local and provincial organizations to ensure frontline fire fighters are represented in a formal and positive manner, while building his local into the voice of Public Safety in Oshawa. He has also over seen numerous Freedom of Information Requests. Peter represents over 20 Locals in Zone 1 ensuring their voice is heard at the provincial table.
		Zone 2 Director, Doug McLennan Much like Ottawa, a big city with a small city feel, that is how Doug sees himself. Always willing to help or jump in and advocate alongside those that are at the whim of their employers. Moving from Sudbury to Ottawa in the early 2000's, Doug joined the Ottawa Fire Department, starting at the lowest rung in Local 162 as a shop steward, making his way up to Executive Board Officer and Bargaining/Grievance Committee member in 2018, and most recently in 2020 reaching the apex as President of Local 162 and Chair of Bargaining/Grievance for Local 162. He is now currently a Lieutenant at Station 53 with over 20+ years of service as a career firefighter. Doug is no stranger to helping provincially, as he was instrumental in rewriting the Memorandum of Understanding for all the Provincial Hazardous Materials Teams in 2017 as the Ottawa Hazardous Materials Provincial Coordinator. Doug currently holds a position as Zone 2 Director with the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. Proudly there to serve, assist, and represent over 20 IAFF locals from across the province.
		Zone 3 Director, Dan Vanderlelie Dan has been a firefighter for 21 years and currently holds the position of Acting Platoon Chief with the Burlington fire Department. As a member of the Burlington Professional Firefighters Association he has served as president for the past 15 years. Dan has committed to continue his education through numerous opportunities such as the Ottawa Harvard Labour studies along with the Ryerson University Lancaster Labour relations program. Dan currently holds the position of Zone 3 director with the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. He previously served for four years as a District Vice President and has been involved in numerous committees within the OPFFA over the past 18 years.
		Zone 4 Director, Chris Varcoe Chris has been a firefighter for over 24 years and currently holds the rank of District Chief with Mississauga Fire. He has been active with his association since 2005, serving as Vice President, then President in 2010. He has previously served as a District Vice President of the OPFFA and today as a Director. Chris is active in provincial and municipal politics, regularly lobbying for improved working conditions for professional firefighters, has served on numerous committees over the years and is particularly active on pension issues affecting his members. Chris continues to participate in education opportunities and is a graduate of the Ottawa University and Tefler School of Management Executive Leadership program and the Ryerson University Lancaster Labour Relations program.
		Zone 5 Director, Kevin McCarthy Kevin is a Captain for the Toronto Fire Services and is currently serving in his 31st year. Kevin was elected in 1999 during the amalgamation of the City of Toronto. It was a challenging time for the city and the various labour organizations. In the consecutive years, Kevin was elected to the Executive Board until he decided to take on more responsibility assuming the Vice President's role for Local 3888. The Toronto Professional Firefighters Association is the largest Fire Association in Canada and the fifth biggest organization in North America. Kevin has served in the position of Vice President for two terms. Kevin is proud to represent Zone 5 as a Director since the inception of this model in 2020. After previously holding the Benefits Committee Chair for the Ontario Provincial Firefighters Association for two terms, he takes on this role with a good understanding of how this organization works.

The OPFFA, headquartered in Toronto, is more than 11,000 members strong.