A Leadership Guide for Volunteer Fire Departments, Fourth Edition

International Association of Fire Chiefs

Established in 1873, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is a powerful, professional membership organization of more than 12,600 chief fire and emergency officers. The mission of the IAFC is to provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers, and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the international community through vision, information, education, services, and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities. Members of the IAFC are the world’s leading experts in fire fighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation.

Jack W. Snook

Jack Snook is the President of Emergency Services Consulting, inc. (ESCi). ESCi is an international firm providing specialized and high quality fire, police, communications, and emergency medical consulting services to organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Snook has been with the company since 1976. He brings over 29 years of private and public sector experience at multiple levels. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Administration, and an Associates of Arts degree in Fire Science. His career ranges from being the Chief Executive Officer of a city and corporation to being the chief and administrator of one of the nation's eighty largest fire departments. He has been considered a national leader in the fire service for many years.

Mr. Snook has extensive experience in providing consulting services to clients throughout the world. Areas of expertise include management and organization reviews, cooperative service and consolidation, strategic planning, program evaluations, and risk assessment. In 1991, he signed an exclusive contract with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) to present all of their cooperative effort workshops nationwide.

Recent assignments and appointments include: facilitator of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation national summit to reduce line of duty deaths in America; moderator of the nation's first symposium to bring health care officials and the fire service together to develop a model program to reduce health care facility deaths and injuries; facilitator of a national roundtable to discuss emerging codes; and facilitator of the IAFC's strategic plan (two years). Mr. Snook has key-noted over 75 conferences and conventions and has spoken at over 200 events.

Richard B Gasaway

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO joined the fire service in 1979 and has worked for multiple emergency services organizations in West Virginia, Ohio, and Minnesota. Dr. Gasaway holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in finance, economics, business administration, and leadership. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and the University of Maryland’s National Fire Service Staff & Command Program. Dr. Gasaway can be contacted through his website, www.RichGasaway.com.

Tim L. Holman

Tim L. Hollman BA, EMTP, CFO is a 33 year veteran of the fire service and currently serves as Chief of the German Township Fire & EMS (Clark County, Ohio). He speaks and trains on a variety of fire and EMS management and leadership issues throughout the United States.

Fire Chief Magazine named Tim Fire Chief of the Year in 2002. He has also been appointed to the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation and is a and a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Ohio Fire Chiefs, American Society for Training and Development and the National Association of EMTs. 

Mr. Hollman graduated with honors from Ottawa University in Kansas. He has an extensive background in health care management, the fire service, and organizational development and has written numerous articles for national journals and has authored several leadership books. Tim also co-authored The Chief Fire Officer’s Desk Reference.