Chief Warrant Officer Donnie Matthews grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. He is a graduate of the Nova Scotia Community College, Saint Mary’s University (Anthropology) and is a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) and a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator Instructor (CFII). He served as a reservist at 12 Wing Shearwater (ARAF), with the Princess Louise Fusiliers and as a naval reservist with HMCS SCOTIAN.
In 1998 CWO Matthews component transferred and changed occupations to firefighter. Upon completion of occupation training, he was posted to 12 Wing Shearwater as a Fire Fighter crewman.
In 2002 he was posted to HMCS St. John’s as a Shipborne Fire Fighter. CWO Matthews completed a deployment on Op Apollo in the Arabian Sea in 2002.
In 2005 CWO Matthews was promoted to Master Corporal and posted to 8 Wing Trenton Fire Hall as a Crew Chief and then served as a Fire Inspector there.
In 2007 CWO Matthews was promoted to Sergeant and posted to 12 Wing Shearwater as a Platoon Chief. In 2009 he was posted to HMCS Halifax as Senior Firefighter and FLYCO. Attach postings include HCMS Preserver, Toronto, Montreal, and St. John’s. In 2010 he was posted to HMCS St. John’s when HMCS Halifax went into FELEX program refit.
In 2011 he was promoted to Warrant Officer and posted to then-Canadian Forces Support Unit Ottawa as the Chief Fire Inspector for the National Capital Region.
In 2014 he was posted to 1 ESU in Kingston, ON as the Fire and Life Safety Advisor. During his brief time there he embarked on TAVs ranging from Wainwright, AB to Iraq.
In 2015 he was promoted to Master Warrant Officer and posted to Gatineau, QC as a Life Cycle Materiel Manager (LCMM).
In 2017 he was posted back to Halifax as the Chief Fire Fighter for Sea Training Atlantic. This was a busy time indeed, with multiple trips to conduct programs on the West Coast. He was the last Fire Fighter to occupy this billet before its transition to the RCN.
In 2019 he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer and posted to the Office of the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal as the Senior Trade Advisor. Last year he also assumed the duties of Royal Canadian Naval Fire Marshal.
CWO Matthews is looking forward to his new appointment as CFFCA CWO on 9 July 2021.
