Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2008 - (Page 11)

Above and Beyond: Chief Dannie C. Smith C By Dr. Jim Gaston Chief Smith’s leadership was tested during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 when much of Houston was inundated and lost essential services and was cut off from transportation. As Houston’s Assistant Chief for Special Operations, Chief Smith was the department’s liaison to the city’s Office of Emergency Management. He was also responsible for the technical rescue, hazmat, ARFF and training functions. Chief Smith leads the Sugar Land Fire Department with 106 employees; 100 are certified firefighters and 33 have advanced EMS skills. The department has an administration building and six fire stations, deploying four engine companies, two ladders, a hazmat team, a dive rescue team and rehab. They run 7100 calls per year with an average response time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds. During Chief Smith’s tenure in Sugar Land, the city’s ISO rating has improved from 3 to 2. They have opened Station #6 with a seventh in the planning stage, a new administrative complex, graduated five Citizen Fire Academy Classes and two CERT classes and implemented several policy and management projects. Sugar Land has been heavily involved in regional efforts and lead the way for the development of Fort Bend County’s East Side Hazardous Materials Response Team. The East Side Haz-Mat Team is housed in Sugar Land and staffed by Sugar Land fire fighters. The department was also heavily involved in Hurricane Katrina and Rita response and relief efforts. Chief Smith, his wife Winona and their children live in Fort Bend hief Dannie Smith became President of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association on January first after serving on the Executive Board for several years. His leadership skills have been honed during 25 years on the front line and in fire department headquarters in Houston and Sugar Land. Perhaps his most significant accomplishment for the Texas Fire Chiefs Association was the leadership role he played in the implementation of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System in 2007. As chairman of the mutual aid committee that drafted the plan, Chief Smith encouraged the Texas Legislature to pass Senate Bill 11 and House Bill 1471 making statewide mutual aid a reality. He has been working directly with state agencies to implement the plan. Chief Smith was born and raised in the Sunnyside area of south Houston. One of 13 children, he attended Worthing High School. He was 19 years old when he entered the Houston Fire Academy and his first assignment was in the Sunnyside area at Station 46 in 1982. The young African-American firefighter serving in the community he grew up in would work his way up through the ranks to become an Assistant Fire Chief in Houston and Fire Chief for the City of Sugar Land as few miles to the west. In 1993 and again in 1995, Chief Smith earned the Houston Fire Department Valor Awards for putting his own life at risk while rescuing unconscious victims. County and are active members of “The Church Without Walls.” His daughter Courtney is a senior at the University of Houston, and his son Cory is a freshman at Prairie View A&M University. In addition to the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, he has served in committee and leadership positions in the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute and many others. He has also served in a advisory capacity for the Texas Municipal League, and on advisory boards for the Texas A&M and Houston Community College fire schools and Texas Task Force #1. Chief Smith earned a Bachelor of Business administration from Le Tourneau University and is a graduate of the Executive Development Institute, Dillard University. He has also attended the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. Chief Smith is excited about his year at the helm of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association where he is looking forward to updating and completely implementing a recently created strategic plan. 11 TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Spring/Summer 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Region Realignment Map Above and Beyond 2007 Conference Highlights ‘Service Above Self’ Texas Commission Implements Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Who Are Those Guys? Alarms for the Hearing Impaired Recent Calls Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Spring/Summer 2008

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