Penton's Fire Chief Magazine Announces 2013 Volunteer And Career Fire Chiefs Of The Year

CHICAGO, Aug. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fire Chief magazine, a part of Penton's Public Infrastructure Group, today named Volunteer Fire Chief Freddy L. Johnson Sr. of the Stoney Point Volunteer Fire Department in Fayetteville, N.C., and Career Fire Chief Randy Mirowski of the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority in Loveland, Colo., as the recipients of the 2013 Fire Chief of the Year Awards.

The winners will be honored on Friday, August 16, during the opening session of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire-Rescue International Conference and Exhibition at McCormick Place, Chicago.

"Chief Freddy Johnson, Sr. and Chief Randy Mirowski are excellent examples of the dedication and leadership required of fire chiefs today," Fire Chief Associate Publisher Janet Wilmoth said. "They represent the many hard-working, committed leaders of fire departments across North America."

"The response to this year's call for nominations for the Chief of the Year Award was excellent," Wilmoth added. "The level of commitment and professionalism required to lead fire and emergency response department continues to be a challenge in our world today."

Fire Chief introduced the Chief of the Year program in 1996. Winners are selected annually by the Fire Chief Editorial Advisory Board and presented to one career fire chief and one volunteer chief each year for their dedication and leadership in fire and emergency services. The Chief of the Year program is sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company.

"We recognize and celebrate the achievements of both Chief Randy Mirowski and Chief Freddy Johnson as well as the positive impact they've had to their departments, communities and the fire service," said Jim Johnson, executive vice president and president of Oshkosh's Fire & Emergency Division. "Pierce is proud to pay tribute to these men for their remarkable accomplishments. All of us benefit from their leadership, dedication and integrity." 

Career Fire Chief – Fire Chief Randy Mirowski of the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority in Loveland, Colo.

With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Chief Randy Mirowski began as a firefighter with the Topeka, Kan., Fire Department. He moved to Loveland, Colo., Fire Department where he served as a driver operator and apparatus maintenance engineer. Mirowski then served at the Poudre Fire Authority, where he spent 27 years rising to become a special operations battalion chief. He rejoined Loveland as its fire chief in 2009. Under his leadership, Chief Mirowski helped build a collaborative relationship between the city and rural district, which resulted in a combined Fire Rescue Authority with increased staffing (from two to three person companies), improved equipment and an expanded fire station.

Dedicated to education and training, Chief Mirowski is chair of the Board for the Front Range Fire Consortium, an organization that supports the training and development needs of the Front Range Fire Rescue Departments. He is a member of the IAFC and the International Association of Firefighters, and is an instructor for the Northern Colorado Fire Consortium. Chief Mirowski's leadership style and acumen have inspired his staff and others to excel. He has authored and co-authored several training programs on leadership, officer training, procedures, operational directives and more.

Volunteer Fire Chief – Fire Chief Freddy L. Johnson Sr., of the Stoney Point Volunteer Fire Dept. in Fayetteville, N.C.

Chief Freddy L. Johnson Sr. began his volunteer career in the fire service in 1975 and joined the Stoney Point Volunteer Fire Department in 1976, where he rose through the ranks until being named fire chief in 1980. Improvements spearheaded by Chief Johnson resulted in an ISO rating of Class 3, the only department in North Carolina to achieve this rating. He led a $1.1 million grant project for a regional interoperability voice system, and advocated for a special tax initiative to fund fire and EMS services.

Chief Johnson has followed a dual career path with the United States Army and, after 23 years of honorable service, he retired from the Special Operations Command in 1996. He next joined the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office where he was promoted to captain and placed in charge of 125 detectives. In 2001 Johnson was named the emergency services director at the Hoke County Sheriff's Office & Emergency Management, a position he holds today. Chief Johnson was appointed by the North Carolina State Commissioner of Insurance to the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission, and has served as president of the Cumberland County Fire Chief's Association since 1980. He was recognized by the North Carolina Association of Fire Chief's as its Volunteer Chief of the Year in 2012, and is a recipient of the "Long Leaf Pine," the highest honor the state offers.

About Fire Chief Magazine
Established in 1956, Fire Chief is the magazine for progressive fire service leaders. Articles by fire officers from across the country and worldwide cover a wide variety of important areas to today's fire service leaders. In addition, a monthly lineup of departments provides even more information, in a quick, accessible format. Fire Chief's monthly readers include chief officers, with a sizable contingent of incident commanders, training officers, safety officers, and other titles and ranks. Issue content and more information on the publication can be found at www.firechief.com.

About Penton
For millions of business owners and decision-makers, Penton makes the difference every day. We engage our professional users by providing actionable ideas and insights, data and workflow tools, community and networking, both in person and virtually, all with deep relevance to their specific industries. We then activate this engagement by connecting users with tens of thousands of targeted providers of products and services to help drive business growth. Learn more about our company at www.penton.com.

Penton is a privately held company owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.

CONTACTS:
Janet Wilmoth
Associate Publisher, Fire Chief
Phone: (630) 258-0278
Email: [email protected]

Kate Spellman
SVP, Marketing
Penton
Phone: (212) 204-4351
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Penton