Fire Chief of the Year

Nominating Organizations

A nomination in one or both categories is accepted from:

All IAFC sections and divisions
Any IAFC member
Any state association of career and/or volunteer fire chiefs
Center for Public Safety Excellence
Congressional Fire Services Institute
IAFC Women Chiefs Council (WCC)
Institution of Fire Engineers
International Association of Arson Investigators
International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters
International Association of Fire Fighters
International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services
National Association of Hispanic Fire Fighters
National Fire Protection Council
National Volunteer Fire Council
Native American Fire Chiefs Association
Previous recipients may nominate one chief and are not limited to their own category

Nomination Process

Nominations are being accepted for consideration in 2025. The nomination period is open through May 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. The nomination link is available on this webpage or by contacting Firechiefaward@iafc.org.

Four steps to prepare the official entry:

Apply via the nomination form. Remember, this is a lifetime achievement award, not one specific incident.
Include a statement describing in less than 1,000 words the nominee's major accomplishments and why the candidate is deserving of this high honor.
Upload a current resume or CV detailing the nominee's involvement in the fire service. If you are not able to obtain this document, please submit a comprehensive career biography even if you must write it yourself. One document is required to make it easier for the evaluators to conduct their assessment.
Upload up to three (3) other documents supporting the candidate's nomination, such as copies of awards, newspaper articles, or letters of recommendation from appropriate elected or appointed officials. These documents are optional. However, such information makes it easier for the panel of judges to evaluate the nominees.

No politicking is permitted. The nomination submission and supporting documents comprise the entire documentation for a candidate's nomination. Neither the nominee nor anyone representing him or her is to contact the IAFC staff or any member(s) of the nomination/selection committee after the nomination has been made and before the final selection has been made. Any violations of this will subject the nominee to disqualification.

The IAFC is not responsible for submissions received past the deadline due to electronic errors. Contact Firechiefaward@iafc.org if you have trouble submitting your nomination. Submitted nomination information will not be shared with anyone beyond the review committee, compromised of a select panel of IAFC members and IAFC staff managing the program.

Selection Process

Each qualified nomination will be reviewed by a select committee of IAFC members. The IAFC reserves the right to omit an award. Recipient awardees and regret notifications will be sent out in June and the awardees honored at IAFC's Fire-Rescue International (FRI), August 13-15, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. The recipients will be featured in iCHIEFS and on FIRECHIEF.com.

Two awards will be presented during FRI 2025; one for a career fire chief and one for a volunteer fire chief.

Criteria

A volunteer fire chief is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood by some means other than serving as a fire chief, even if the position of chief carries some compensation.
A career fire chief is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood as a fire chief.
In each category, the status of the fire department as a whole — paid, volunteer or combination — is not considered.
Individuals who are eligible for nomination and selection as Fire Chief of the Year are limited to active chiefs of departments.
Previous Fire Chief of the Year recipients are not eligible.
You must be a regular member to be nominated and remain a member in good standing through FRI 2026.
Self-nominations are not accepted.
Selection criteria will emphasize leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the fire service as a whole.
All of a nominee's fire service activities and accomplishments will be considered. Special emphasis will be placed on the period from 2022 through 2024. A nominee's command role at a major emergency incident, while relevant, will not be enough to place that individual into contention for the award.