Joseph Guarnera is the fire chief of the Athol, MA, Fire Department and serves as the town’s emergency management director. He has more than 40 years of experience in public safety. Guarnera served 18 years with the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services as the coordinator of fire service instructional methodology, the coordinator for the Massachusetts Fire Service Professional Development Group and as a senior instructor. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Chief Fire Officer Program and is a Massachusetts State Credentialed Fire Chief. Guarnera is enrolled in the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. He is the chair of the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education Committee. Guarnera holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. He teaches fire science and emergency services courses for many colleges and organizations across the United States and the United Kingdom and has been the advisor, contributing author and subject matter expert for many published fire and emergency services textbooks and periodicals. In 2014, Guarnera was awarded the National Fire Administration Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education Emeritus Award for outstanding dedication to education in the fire service.