Deputy Fire Chief, Oakville Fire Department

Jeremy Inglis is a dedicated firefighter who has contributed to the critical work of combatting human trafficking. The 2004 graduate of Mohawk College’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program is the deputy fire chief with the Oakville Fire Department. 

The Oakville Fire Department is made up of more than 250 full-time personnel operating out of nine station locations as well as the Oakville Training Campus for Emergency Excellence. As a member of the senior fire management team, he is responsible for leading training and development practice, dispatch communications, and fleet maintenance.

Prior to this role, Jeremy was deputy fire chief with Central York Fire Services. He was previously deputy fire chief with the Fort Erie Fire Department, a firefighter and training officer with the Niagara Falls Fire Department, and a firefighter and captain with the Hamilton Fire Department. 

Jeremy’s volunteer contributions include serving as vice-president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) and previously as chair of Victim Services Niagara and a committee member of the Niagara anti-human trafficking panel. 

He has worked with the YWCA of Niagara and Victim Services Niagara, among other agencies, to train first responders to recognize signs that someone may be a trafficking victim. 

In its first three years, the training program trained 500 firefighters and first responders in the Niagara Region, and Jeremy and his partners presented their program at the 2019 Global Conference on Trafficking and Trauma at the University of Toronto. He even met with Ontario’s education minister to advocate for human trafficking awareness to be included in high school curriculum. 

His work combating human trafficking has continued to expand across Ontario through collaboration with government agencies, police services, paramedic services, and community organizations. Working alongside these partners, he and his training partners have delivered human trafficking awareness and training sessions throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Southwestern Ontario.

As the initiative approaches the milestone of training 1,000 first responders, there is a renewed emphasis on strengthening advocacy for victims and survivors of human trafficking through evidence-informed, collaborative training programs and the continued development of community networks that connect survivors with the specialized services and supports they require.

His community contributions led to Jeremy being awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Pin in 2023. 

In addition to his numerous certifications related to his work, Jeremy has also completed a Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University.