Chief Warrant Officer M. Rousseau, CD - Biography

Chief Warrant Officer Military Personnel Command

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Martin Rousseau was involved at an early age with the Scouts, Sea Cadets and was in team sports playing hockey and baseball. Those experiences led him to join the Canadian Armed Forces in 1987 with the Primary Reserve as an infantryman with the 4^th Battalion, Royal 22^nd Regiment. In 1989, he transferred to the Regular Force in the fire service to become a firefighter.

CWO Rousseau has served with the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force in various capacities and numerous locations in Canada and overseas. He was employed at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Summerside, 3 Wing Bagotville, 12 Wing Shearwater, CFB Halifax, on board Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montreal, 14 Wing Greenwood, 16 Wing Borden, 2 Wing Bagotville and National Defence Headquarters Ottawa. He served on operational platoons and on board ships, in various capacities; as crewman, Senior Firefighter at the Formation Augmentation Fleet Atlantic, Senior Fire Instructor at Naval Damage Control School (Atlantic), Platoon Chief and Fire Chief. He pursued his career development by becoming the Expeditionary Operations Coordinator in which he became a key advisor to the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal, Fire Chief at CFB Shearwater, National Defence Fire Service Firefighter Senior Occupation Advisor, Chief Warrant Officer to the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal, Commandant of the RCAF Academy, 2 Wing CWO at CFB Bagotville and Military Police Group CWO.

CWO Rousseau’s operational tours of duty include support to 3 Wing Mission Support Element deployed to Buffalo, N.Y., and while on board HMCS Montréal, he participated in several naval missions including one with the STANFORLANT NATO fleet. He deployed to Afghanistan on Operation ATHENA as the Canadian Contingent Task Force Fire Marshal and he fulfilled many more operational functions in Afghanistan as well as in Germany, Kuwait, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

In September 2021, CWO Rousseau was appointed as the Military Personnel Command Chief Warrant Officer.

He is also a former member of the Canadian Military Engineer Association Executive Committee as well as former board member of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation; he remains an active Associate member and Ambassador for this foundation.

His continued loyalty to the Canadian Armed Forces is greatly attributable to the unwavering love and support of his wife and their four children.