FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE April 2018 8 Douglas E Riley - New Fire Chief at Lakeland Fire Department City of Lakeland City Manager, Tony Delgado, has appointed Douglas E. Riley as the Lakeland Fire Department’s (LFD) new Fire Chief. Fire Chief Riley will begin his new role as the leader of the department on December 16, 2017 and was officially promoted Friday, January 5, 2018, at a ceremony held at Fire Station 1. Fire Chief Riley was sworn in, in the company of family, friends, and colleagues. The appointment follows the retirement of Gary W. Ballard (former FFCA President), who had served as Fire Chief since 2010. Fire Chief Riley is the ninth Fire Chief at the department in its 101-year history as a career fire department. Douglas Riley was hired as a firefighter with the City of Lakeland on March 9, 1987. Throughout his career he has held the following positions; Driver/Engineer (March 1992), Fire Lieutenant (January 1995), Battalion Chief (June 2004) and most recently Assistant Chief of Operations, which he has served as since January 2010. Douglas graduated from Lakeland Senior High School in 1984. He earned Associates degrees from Polk Community College in both Fire Science and Nursing. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Business in 2012. In addition to his degrees, Douglas holds certifications as a Registered Nurse, Paramedic, Fire Officer I, Fire Instructor, and Fire Inspector. He is a graduate of Florida State University’s prestigious Certified Public Manager program and the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association’s Emergency Services Leadership Institute. He is also certified as a Florida Public Employer Labor Relations professional. Douglas is a member of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association as well as the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He currently serves as the Statewide Emergency Response Plan (SERP) Coordinator for Polk County, Florida. He has attended classes at the National Fire Academy (NFA) in Emmitsburg, Maryland on several occasions. First in June 1996 where he participated in a two-week Hazardous Materials Operating Site Practices class. He returned to the National Fire Academy in April 2016 where he participated in a mock hurricane disaster exercise at the Emergency Management Institute. Douglas completed a six-day New Fire Chief course in May 2017 at the NFA. Most recently, Fire Chief Riley was recognized for his selection to participate in the International Association of Fire Chiefs Leadership cohort of 20 leaders from across the fire service, selected out of hundreds of applicants nationwide. Douglas has been married to his wife Robin for 33 years. Together they have a 28-year-old son, Taylor, who is a certified Firefighter / Paramedic, whom currently serves as a Fire Inspector / Investigator at the Lakeland Fire Department. Douglas’ faith is very important to him and his family; they are members of the Family Worship Center in Lakeland. Chief Riley is also a member of the Lakeland Rotary Club. In regards to his promotion, Fire Chief Riley shares “I am both humbled and honored to be afforded the opportunity to lead our great fire department into the future. My entire career has been in dedicated-service to the Lakeland community and I look forward to serving the men and women of the department, with compassion and pride, as we continue to provide exceptional service to the citizens of our great city.” Congratulations to Chief Riley! The entire department and City of Lakeland is excited for what is to come under his new administration. Michael Williams Selected as New Assistant Chief at the Lakeland Fire Department Michael Williams was promoted to Assistant Chief of Operations in a ceremony held at Fire Station 1 on January 25, 2018. The promotion comes as a result of the appointment of Douglas E. Riley, who was formerly the Assistant Chief of Operations, as Fire Chief. Michael Williams began his career at the Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) in 1998, as a firefighter; having served with another area fire department prior to that. Before his promotion to Assistant Chief, Williams served as Battalion Chief since January of 2010. Prior to his work as a Battalion Chief, Michael worked as a Lieutenant. Assistant Chief Williams holds several certifications including State Fire Officer, Fire Instructor III, Fire Safety Inspector, Pump Operator, Florida Urban Search and Rescue Operations, and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting among many others. He is also a certified paramedic. Assistant Chief Williams is a member of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. He is also a member of the State of Florida Region 4/6 Incident Management Team, having most recently deployed in response to Hurricane Irma. He earned his associates degree in Emergency Medical Services from Polk State College and a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety from Polk State College. Williams is a graduate of Florida State University’s Certified Public Manager program. He recently graduated from the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association (FFCA) Emergency Services Leadership Institute (ESLI) and was selected to participate in the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. Michael is also currently enrolled at Waldorf University’s pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Public Safety with a focus in Fire Administration. He stays exceptionally busy with his work at the department but in his free time enjoys hunting, camping, and spending time with his family. In regards to his appointment as Assistant Chief, Michael shares “I am both humbled and honored to have the opportunity to lead the great men and women of LFD. I look forward to serving them and the community in this new role. I will work diligently to ensure the continued delivery of professional and exceptional fire and emergency medical services to the citizenry of Lakeland.” April 2018 FFS.QXD 4/10/18 1:36 PM Page 8