2020 Virginia Fire + Rescue Conference

Chief Survival Officer (Room 1B)

The role of a Fire Chief has changed to Chief Survival Officer which may result in a title change. The Chief Survival Officer is responsible for public education, community risk reduction, risk management, training of firefighters, reduction of stress, reducing exposure to carcinogens. At the core of the skill set of the Chief Survival Officer is the ability to communicate to the public, elected officials and firefighters the dangers they face daily. The unpredictability of a basic emergency medical call that can go from routine to tragic in a matter of a second. We rely on prior experience, a sense of having been there before, which we sometimes believe translates into an enhanced ability to perform under pressure.