Corey A. Smedley, Fire Chief, Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Service
Chief Corey Smedley began his career with Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department, rising through the ranks and retiring as a Deputy Fire Chief. He later served as a fire chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia, where he led the organization through transformational change, including shepherding the first collective bargaining agreement in the history of Virginia’s fire service. He currently serves as fire chief of Montgomery County, Maryland, leading one of the nation’s most complex combination career and volunteer fire and rescue systems with over 2,800 civilian, career-sworn, and volunteer women and men. The department operates from 37 community-based fire stations with a population of 1.1 million and covers 500 square miles. In this role, Chief Smedley oversees a diverse, high-demand organization and serves as the sponsoring agency executive for Maryland Task Force One (MD-TF1), one of the nation’s premier FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams.
At the regional and national levels, Chief Smedley played a key leadership role in restructuring the National Capital Region preparedness, serving as the inaugural Chair of the Homeland Security Executive Committee Advisory Council and strengthening coordination and readiness across one of the country’s most complex metropolitan regions.