Saskatoon fire Chief Morgan Hackl was named National Fire Chief of the Year on Tuesday by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
“Chief Hackl is a true community leader,” Saskatoon city manager Jeff Jorgenson said. “He gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges to the most vulnerable in the community he serves, participating this year in the Sanctum Survivor Challenge, where he spent 36 hours living as if homeless on the streets of Saskatoon.”
Get daily Saskatoon news
Hackl was recognized for reimagining and expanding the roles of the fire department through community collaboration and outreach partners.
He has been a member of the fire department for 35 years, beginning as a firefighter and moving to captain. He served as battalion chief and assistant chief and then was promoted to chief in 2015.
“It takes vision and courage to lead the way Chief Hackl does and as an organization we congratulate him on this much deserved recognition,” Jorgenson said.
Jorgensen said Hackl plays a key role in fighting the community’s most challenging issues.
He called him a strong mentor and supporter for other firefighters who has successfully led the team through the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented incident management structures to work with Saskatoon’s most vulnerable.