Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2016 -- Chief Sawkins, the current President of the Northwest Territories Fire Chief's Association, will provide expert information from his over 30- year firefighting career, addressing such topics as how you can put strategies in place to keep yourself safe from fire, how the holiday season adds to the complexity of fire safety, and how fire safety differs across geographical and cultural realities.

Chief Sawkins became a firefighter with the Canadian Forces fire services in June 1980. Over the next 20 years he served at Canadian Forces Bases Toronto, Ontario; Shearwater, Nova Scotia; Ottawa, Ontario; and on Her Majesties Canadian Ships Huron and Calgary with tours in the Persian Gulf and in the Adriatic during the Yugoslavian uprising. Chief Sawkins finished off his military career in 2000 at the Canadian Forces Fire Academy in Borden, Ontario where he was employed as the Training Operations Supervisor and as the Standards Officer.

Subsequent to his retirement, Chief Sawkins became the Fire Chief for the Township of Tiny where he stayed for the next 4 1/2 years. In October 2004 he assumed the responsibilities as Fire Chief for the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Upon his departure from the Township of Muskoka Lakes he returned to the Canadian Forces Fire Academy where he assumed the Senior Civilian Instructor position, overseeing Supervisor and Manager level training. As a civilian Instructor, 10 years removed from the military, he was able to reflect on real life situations, thus enhancing the training experience.

It wasn't long before Chief Sawkins got the itch to command and subsequently accepted the Director of Protective Services position with the Town of Inuvik a position that he has held since October 2011.

Chief Sawkins currently sits on the Canadian Association of Fire Chief's National Advisory Council as well as the NWT Fire Service Program Advisory Board, 9-1-1 Implementation Committee, and is a Fire Service Instructor/Evaluator for the NWT Fire Training Certification Program.

Chief Sawkins received his Chief Officer Designation from the Canadian Association of Fire Chief's in 2015. His honors include the Canadian Peacekeeping Medal, NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia, Canadian Forces Decoration with clasp, Federal Fire Service Exemplary Service Medal, and the Ontario Fire Service Medal. He was also the recipient of the NWT Fire Service Merit Award in 2015.

"Jim has remarkable and uniquely diverse experience with all manner of communities and cultures," stated Elaine Birchall. "We are extremely lucky that he is going to join us on our show, to help us understand and address this very complicated aspect of hoarding."