McLean, Va. – A top leader in the nation’s fire service is taking on a new role this week. Former International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) President John Butler, a Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) graduate, is now president of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. Butler is chief of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Virginia.
Chief Butler’s appointment represents the first time a FSEDI alumnus has been chosen for the role of Metro Chiefs president. It also marks another important milestone in Chief Butler’s lengthy fire service career.
The Metro Chiefs Association has long been a source of leadership, education, collaboration, and community among the highest-ranking uniformed officers of large departments in cities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and beyond. It represents one of the most significant sections of the IAFC and the NFPA, which together represent hundreds of thousands of fire service members across the globe.
As with the FSEDI program, education is a major component of the Metro Chiefs Association’s mission, and they partner with organizations such as FM, the Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL), the Fire Protection Research Foundations, and universities across the U.S. and beyond.
As President, Chief Butler will help guide Metro Chiefs’ policies and programs throughout his one-year term. He will act on behalf of the Executive Board, helping to establish committees, direct meetings, and carry out the goals of the association both internally and externally. His appointment comes at when metropolitan departments are facing significant challenges and change.
About the Metro Chiefs Association
The Metro Chiefs Association has long been a source of leadership, education, collaboration, and community for the highest-ranking uniformed officers of large departments in cities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and beyond. It represents one of the most significant sections of the IAFC and the NFPA, which together represent hundreds of thousands of fire service members across the globe.