Appleton, Wis. (August 26, 2010) – Fire Chief Magazine, part of Penton Media, Inc.’s Public Infrastructure Group, and Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) company, today announced the 2010 winners of the annual “Fire Chief of the Year” awards. Volunteer Fire Chief Timothy S. Wall of the North Farms Volunteer Fire Department in Wallingford, Conn. and career Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr, Jr. of the Charleston Fire Department in Charleston, S.C. received the awards.
Winners are honored for their dedication and leadership in the fire and emergency services. Sponsored by Pierce, the 15th annual awards were presented during the opening session at the 2010 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Fire-Rescue International Exhibits and Conference in Chicago, Ill. Also in attendance for the presentations were 23 past winners of the award, who have previously been recognized for their leadership. It is the largest number of Fire Chief of the Year award winners ever assembled.
“The leadership, integrity and contributions to the fire service demonstrated by Chief Carr and Chief Wall are inspiring. All of us benefit from their dedication. And, we are honored to recognize their positive impact by presenting them with these Fire Chief of the Year awards,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “We are also pleased to have 23 past winners of the award here with us today. It’s a privilege for Pierce to be able to recognize and honor their collective achievements.”
Volunteer Fire Chief Honoree – Chief Timothy S. Wall, North Farms Volunteer Fire Dept., Wallingford, Conn.
Chief Wall is a third generation firefighter, and has served over 30 years at the North Farms Volunteer Fire Department, where he has served as chief since 1996. In 1980 he was appointed as a deputy sheriff of New Haven County – the youngest person so assigned in the state of Connecticut – and today he is a Connecticut State Marshal.
Chief Wall has a passion and enthusiasm for the fire service and his mission is to bring education and professionalism to the entire volunteer service. He has been a member of the IAFC’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) since it was formed in 1994, and has served on that Section’s Board of Directors since 1994. Chief Wall has served as VCOS chair since 2005. Chief Wall has a track record of being able to raise awareness among fire service professionals, legislators, and the public on the importance of volunteers to the fire service. Representative Mary G. Fritz, Assistant Deputy Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, said, “Chief Wall is well-known throughout the state for his work in the Fire Service. Training his men and women to be the best they can be is the very essence of Tim Wall.”
Career Fire Chief Honoree – Thomas W. Carr, Jr., Charleston Fire Department in Charleston, S.C.
Chief Carr has served with distinction in the fire service since 1978 as a firefighter/paramedic with the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services in Montgomery County, Md. He rose through the ranks to become Montgomery County’s chief in 2003, leading a force of 1100 career and 1000 volunteer personnel that now serves a community of nearly 1,000,000 residents and supports over 100,000 emergency responses a year. As Chief, Carr leads a combined career and volunteer full service fire, rescue and emergency medical services department. In this capacity, in addition to a variety of other responsibilities, Chief Carr also oversees a wide range of programs that include communications, community outreach, public information, training, fire code enforcement, personnel health, wellness and safety, apparatus management and procurement, fire investigations and bomb squad.
Upon retiring from Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services in 2005, Chief Carr was called again into leadership by the city of Charleston, S.C., a city that was reeling from the infamous Sofa Super Store fire that claimed the lives of nine city firefighters. Said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., “The task of taking the fire department from mourning to recovery was, and continues to be, a monumental endeavor. Chief Carr’s steady leadership, open approach, vision, and personal investment in the men and women of the City of Charleston Fire Department are gently, but steadily guiding the Department to new greatness.”
Photo Caption: 2010 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Chief Timothy S. Wall (right), North Farms Volunteer Fire Dept., Wallingford, Conn., and Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency.
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 http://www.firechief.com
About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, minipumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
