Director
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Crofton, Maryland, United States
John Tippett joined the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in April 2018. He is a 50-year veteran of the fire service. John began his career as a volunteer in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1974. He was hired as a career firefighter in Montgomery County in 1976 and spent the next 33 years with various departments and the County, serving as a firefighter, company officer, and battalion chief. John was also an adjunct instructor, member (and later task force leader) of Maryland Task Force 1 (FEMA urban search and rescue team) and an integral part of the department’s safety office.
He retired from Montgomery County in 2009 as the safety battalion chief to take a position with the Charleston (SC) Fire Department as its first deputy chief of operations. John spent the next 7 ½ years as the operations deputy, assisting with the rebuilding of the department after the Sofa Super Store Fire. From 2017 to 2018, he served as interim fire chief. He is still actively serving with the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department in Calvert County, Maryland. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science and a master’s degree in Emergency Services Management from Columbia Southern University. He has worked extensively on firefighter safety initiatives throughout his career, including introducing Crew Resource Management to the fire service and the Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System. John frequently writes and lectures on topics of firefighter safety, decision making, leadership, and strategy and tactics. He earned his chief fire officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence in 2012 and has successfully recertified since. John is a Fellow with the Institution of Fire Engineers. He currently serves as an at large board member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s Safety, Health and Survival Section, and holds health and safety officer and incident safety officer credentials through the Fire Department Safety Officers’ Association. John was the International Society of Fire Service Instructors George D. Post Instructor of the Year in 2006.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM