Calgary Emergency Management Agency

Tom Sampson was appointed Chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) in 2015, when CEMA was seperated from the Calgary Fire Department.

Sampson began at The City of Calgary in 1985 and has occupied various senior roles over his tenure. He joined CEMA in 2009 to assist in the development of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and played a lead role in creating processes and training the EOC team.  He has provided leadership in several emergencies and disasters in and around Calgary including  the Slave Lake wild fires in 2011, the June 2013 floods in Calgary and the 2016 wildfires in Fort McMurray.

After leaving CEMA in 2013 to work as the Executive Officer for Calgary Fire Department, Sampson returned to CEMA in 2014 as Deputy Chief. He has been an integral part of building and fostering relationships with CEMA’s many agency partners, as well as within the communities to they support.

Previously, Sampson also spent a combined total of 22 years working in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with over 11 of those years as Chief of Calgary EMS.  During this time, he worked to establish the Calgary Regional EMS Partnership and the EMS Chiefs of Alberta and Canada. He received the Alberta College of Paramedics’ Award for Excellence and is a lifetime member of the Board of EMS Chiefs of Canada. He continues to maintain registration as an Advanced Care Paramedic today.

Sampson holds a Master’s Certificate in Municipal Leadership from York University, has completed the Labour Relations program at Queen’s University, and has attended the Banff School of Advanced Management and the executive program of the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Business.