· DAN NEWBURN has been named chief of the Tucson (AZ) Fire Department, following a six-month national search. Newburn joined the department in 1974 and served as a firefighter, fire code inspector, captain, public information officer, fire cause investigator, battalion chief, and assistant chief. He was named Tucson’s Firefighter of the Year in 1985. Newburn will oversee operations of Arizona’s second-largest fire department and its 527 unformed personnel.
· DAN STEVENS, former chief of the Waldorf (MD) Volunteer Fire Department, received the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) 2001 Firefighter of the Year Award. Stevens served as chief for more than 13 years with the department, which he joined in 1975. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from one station with two divisions, nine vehicles, and about 130 members to three stations, four divisions, 27 fire and EMS vehicles, and more than 260 members, Last year, the department ran almost 14,000 calls. It serves almost 90,000 citizens in its first due area.
He pioneered the development of the current Fire and EMS Cadet Program, in a partnership with the county’s Board of Education, fire/EMS associations, and the county commissioners. Since 1988, Stevens has chaired the County Radio Committee.
Stevens is an active fire service instructor with the Maryland Fire Services Institute and teaches the college credit courses at the Southern Maryland Regional Training Center in La Plata.
Nominations for the 2002 NVFC Firefighter of the Year Award must be received by August 1, 2002. For more information, contact the NVFC at 1-888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832) or visit the NVFC’s Web site at www.nvfc.org.
· MIKE McGROARTY, chief of the La Habra (CA) Fire Department, was appointed chief of special operations for the California Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) program. He will direct the program’s training and response and coordinate the state’s fire service response to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction incidents. He led the state’s US&R Task Force at the World Trade Center site, serving as a technical heavy rescue specialist. McGroarty has instructed for the past 23 years in heavy rescue systems and has conducted advanced task force training for the California Office of Emergency Management US&R system. He has served as a Hands-On Training (H.O.T.) instructor at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and FDIC West in Sacramento, California.
· EDWARD (LOY) SENTER JR. has been named deputy fire chief of Norfolk (VA) Fire-Rescue. Senter joined the department in 1982 as a firefighter and has served as a lieutenant, captain, and battalion chief. As deputy chief, he will manage department fire, EMS, haz mat, and terrorism response operations.
