DENNIS PITTS

Dennis Pitts, District Chief with Halifax Fire and Emergency, was born and raised in Nova Scotia. Dennis is a seasoned fire fighter and an exceptional leader. Beyond his frontline duties, he’s deeply invested in Technical Rescue and Heavy Search & Rescue. 

There are six Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) teams across Canada. The Leaders from those teams were brought to Halifax for their national meeting in 2023, with support from Public Safety Canada. 

WHY HE DID IT

During their 2022 meeting, HUSAR leaders and Public Safety Canada voted for where the next meeting would be held, and Halifax was overwhelmingly chosen. Dennis would be the first to tell you that he was a bit hesitant to host the event in Halifax. Leading the event was a daunting task for someone who doesn’t plan events. “I was afraid of having to organize an event that I really didn’t know how to organize,” said Dennis. 

Luckily, Dennis found his way to Discover Halifax, which took a huge weight off his shoulders, providing answers to questions and helping to layout the options for hotels, venues, etc. based on their group’s needs. “There are so many tiny event details you don’t realize go into organizing an event of this size,” said Dennis. 

BIG OUTCOMES

HUSAR 2023 brought 20 leaders from outside of Nova Scotia to Halifax for the 3-day event. Not only was the meeting incredibly valuable to those leaders, but they were able to incorporate some of the history of the city into the agenda, including the Halifax Explosion. This provided additional context for some of their discussions. 

HUSAR 2023 was complimented by two, courses organized by Dennis, the Structural Collapse Rescue Technician and Heavy Lifted & Rigging Specialist, bringing additional out-of-town guests to our city.

We hope to see HUSAR and Dennis, back again very soon.