David Griffin

David Griffin, EdD, recently retired as the assistant chief of administration in Charleston, SC, and is a Firehouse Contributing Editor. He was the operator of the first-due engine on June 18, 2007, when nine of his fellow firefighters perished. Griffin progressed through the ranks in operations in every uniformed position, from firefighter to battalion chief and shift commander to assistant chief, during his 21-year career in Charleston. He has a bachelor's degree in education from The Citadel, a master's degree in executive fire service leadership, and a doctorate of education in organizational leadership and development. Griffin is the author of "In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy," among three other books. He is an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an IFSAC/Pro Board-certified Fire Officer IV and a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Executive Education program: Senior Executives in State and Local Government and of the Psychology of Leadership program at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business. Griffin is the owner of On A Mission LLC, at drdavidgriffin.com.