The FIREWELL Research Champion series profile our firefighter collaborators and their critical contributions to our research on firefighter health and wellbeing.
Meet Deputy Fire Chief Karen Roche
Deputy Fire Chief Karen Roche is the Deputy Fire Chief of the Burlington Fire Department. With over 20 years of experience in the fire service, Deputy Fire Chief Roche has served as a Training Officer (Burlington Fire Department), Medical Coordinator (Hamilton Fire Department), Chief of Training (Hamilton Fire Department), and Assistant Deputy Chief (Hamilton Fire Department).
On December 1, 2014, Deputy Fire Chief Roche became the first woman Deputy Fire Chief at the Burlington Fire Department.
How are you involved in FIREWELL?
During my time as the Assistant Deputy Chief of the Hamilton Fire Department, I supported the development and implementation of research projects that: created a firefighter-specific physical demands analysis; focused on female firefighters’ experiences and their unique needs; identified the scope of musculoskeletal injuries sustained by Hamilton firefighters and the factors that increase their risks for these injuries.
As the Deputy Fire Chief of the Burlington Department, I contribute to qualitative studies on firefighters’ work health priorities and work limitations, as well as fire prevention research.
Deputy Fire Chief Roche’s Media Interviews
Roche Burlington’s first female deputy fire chief (The Hamilton Spectator, November 7, 2014)
City of Burlington hires first female deputy fire chief (The Burlington Post, November 6, 2014)
Do you want to be a FIREWELL Research Champion?
If you’re a firefighter who would like to get involved in FIREWELL research, please contact us.