The Dynamic Fire Chief

The Dynamic Fire Chief: Principles for Organizational Management seeks to bridge the gap between service delivery (management of street level operations) and the executive-level management needed by a five-bugle-wearing CEO. Whether you lead a paid or volunteer department, the management skills needed to lead a successful department are the same.

Fire chiefs today are responsible for how emergency services are provided to the community as well as finances, human resources, legal issues, marketing, compliance, vision casting, and succession planning. Many fire service leaders fail to understand that financial management is the lifeblood of attaining the resources needed to allow effective fireground operations.

Most fire chiefs get to the top spot by being good firefighters and officers, but they are challenged because they were never actually trained to be an organizational CEO. The Dynamic Fire Chief serves as a “how to guide” to help fire chiefs navigate some of the more challenging topics of organizational leadership. Craig A. Haigh - the 2012 Illinois Career Fire Chief of the Year and recipient of the 2019 International Association of Fire Chiefs - Chief Alan Brunacini Executive Safety Award - shares his unvarnished stories of personal success and failure from his 30+ year career as a fire chief.