Oakville Fire department’s Deputy Fire Chief Kalpana Rajgopalan was recently awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her outstanding contributions to public safety and emergency management.
Rajgopalan was nominated and awarded by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), recognizing her contributions all levels of government.
The King Charles III Coronation Medal commemorates the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III as King of Canada, and recognizes outstanding achievements and significant contribution to various sectors. The CAFC is one of the key community partners responsible for nominating and presenting the award.
Deputy Chief Rajgopalan brings 17 years of progressive roles in fire services and emergency management.
As the Incident Management System Training Lead, she helped with the implementation of standardized approaches to large-scale emergency responses. Her expertise has been instrumental in supporting key events such as the G8 and G20 Summits in 2010 and evacuation planning for communities along the James Bay.
Along with contributing to the development of Canada’s National Emergency Management Framework, she also led the development of certification standards for the fire service in Ontario advocating for the adoption of professional, internationally recognized standards.
Her pivotal role in developing resettlement guidelines during the 2015 Syrian Refugee Program, helped facilitate the transition of more than 10,000 refugees, and earned recognition from Public Safety Canada. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served in leadership roles at the City of Mississauga, Toronto Public Health and the Town of Oakville as part of their emergency operations team to oversee the effective implementation of programs and services and pandemic response.
Serving in the Oakville Fire Department since 2021, Deputy Chief Rajgopalan has led a series of experiential career training opportunities for youth at the Blaze Fire Academy; developed fire safety educational workshops for landlords and tenants and other community groups and led the update to the Town of Oakville's Emergency Plan.
"Deputy Chief Rajgopalan is a seasoned leader in fire and emergency management with deep commitment to collaboration, strategic planning, and policy development," said Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault in a statement.
"As a champion of innovation in the fire services sector, she continues to elevate the profession through inclusive and forward-thinking approaches to helping all partners and communities."