GRANT MICHAEL SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED - Key Persons
Bryden is the Assistant Chief of Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness for the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS). Responsible for the Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness for an organization consisting of 850+ Fire Fighters' in one of the most dynamic and busiest Fire Departments in Canada & North America.
Bryden was appointed to this position by the Vancouver Fire Rescue Fire Chief. Upon acceptance of this nomination, Bryden became one of the youngest Fire Chiefs' in the Department's 136 year history (est. 1886).
Before this nomination, Bryden was a Full-time Firefighter and was elected to the Executive Board of the Vancouver Firefighters' Union serving as Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer (CFO).
In March 2020, during the global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Bryden was appointed to the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services COVID-19 Task Force. In addition, Bryden serves on multiple different Boards with Not For Profit and For Profit organizations throughout the Mainland.
In June 2020, Bryden was named "British Columbia Top 30 under 30 Business" award winner by B.C. Magazine. This award is given to the Top 30 business people under the age of 30 in the province of British Columbia, Canada for 2020.
In January 2021, Bryden was named "2021 Firefighter of the Year"in addition to having the distinction of being the Youngest Firefighter ever to be awarded "Firefighter of the Year", within the Fire Department's rich history of truly extraordinary individuals,
Bryden graduated Mount St Mary's University (Emmitsburg, Maryland, USA) with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Graduate Degree in Organizational Development, after completing his Bachelor's degree in Criminology. Completing both his undergraduate and graduate degrees within four years, in addition to playing on the NCAA Division 1 Lacrosse Team.
Darren is a Full-time Firefighter and is the Secretary Treasurer (CFO) for the Vancouver Firefighters' Union, including chairing the GIS and Data Analytics Committee and the Executive Board Member overseeing; Bargaining, Finance, Constitution & Bylaws, Service Fund & Athletic Committee. Darren was also appointed to the Joint Committee with Vancouver Fire Rescues services for ePay Committee, with the purpose of improving all Payroll discrepancies, workflow pay systems and communication to all VFRS employees.
Darren was also recently appointed to the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA) on the Finance Committee to oversee all financial reports and make financial recommendations to the BCPFFA Board.
Vancouver Fire Fighter Charities (VFFC) is a prominent organization with community based programs in Vancouver run by off duty Vancouver Fire Fighters. Darren serves on the Board of Directors and is the Secretary Treasurer, overseeing the direction of the charitable and finances for this multi million dollar orgnaization.
Darren has served on and championed many different projects within the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) and within the Vancouver Firefighters' Union such as; the VFRS Strategic Planning Committee, Geospatial Business Users Group (GBUG), Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Accreditation, National Fire Operations Reporting System (NFORS), 2022 - 30 Year Firehall Renewal Study and multiple other projects and reports with the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) for GIS Analysis and strategic planning.
In addition, Darren has a formal educational background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Forest Management. Which has led to additional projects in different industries such as the; Forest Industry and Municipal & Provincial Government.