William “Shorty” Bryson has been in the fire service since 1975. He was the fire chief for the City of Miami, FL, Department of Fire-Rescue and Miami-Dade, FL, Fire Rescue. His awards include the Fire Chief of the Year (2008) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2016). He is a strong proponent of cooperative labor management relations and was a member and chair on the NFPA 1710 committee from 2005 to 2019.