Penton’s Fire Chief Magazine Announces 2008 “Fire Chief of The Year” Award Winners
8/14/2008
NEW YORK (August 14, 2008) - Penton Media's Fire Chief® magazine today announced the winners of its 13th annual "Fire Chief of the Year" awards for 2008. The winners, Chief Charles L. Werner, Charlottesville Fire Department, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Chief Michael H. Lee, Bethany Fire Department, Reidsville, North Carolina, were recognized for their dedication and leadership in fire and emergency services. Both chiefs will be honored on August 15th at the general session of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire-Rescue International Conference and Exhibition in Denver, Colorado. Profiles of both winners will be featured in the October issue of Fire Chief and available on the Web at
www.firechief.com.
Nominations were solicited from more than 55 emergency service-related associations and organizations. The winners were selected by Fire Chief magazine's editorial advisory board.
The 2008 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year, Chief Michael H. Lee, Bethany Fire Department, Reidsville, North Carolina, was nominated by the Bethany Fire Department.
Chief Lee started his professional career as a member of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He volunteered with the Bethany Fire Department in 1989. He was with the Greensboro Fire Department serving as Senior Training Officer before becoming Fire Chief with Bethany in 2005. Lee serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Volunteer Combination Officers Section and also as a member of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs and the North Carolina Fireman's Association. Lee is a Chief Fire Officer Designee, Fire Officer II, EMT, Level II Fire Instructor, Rescue Technician, Firefighter Level II, Fire Inspector Level I and Hazardous Materials Operations Level and Emergency Driver.
The 2008 Career Chief of the Year, Charles L. Werner, first joined the Charlottesville Fire Department in 1978 as a firefighter. Rising quickly through the department, he was appointed fire chief in 2005. A popular instructor, Werner is well-known throughout the fire and emergency services for his expertise in communications technology, serving on the Emergency Services Providers Advisory Committee for many years. He is the Chair of the Department of Homeland Security's SAFECOM Committee and is Chair of the International Association of Technology Advisory Committee which facilitates discussions on GIS and other technology issues. He is also a regular contributor to Penton's MRT and columnist for Firehouse magazine.
"We are extremely pleased to name Chief Werner and Chief Lee as recipients of our 2008 Fire Chief of the Year awards," said Janet Wilmoth, editorial director of Fire Chief magazine. "Each of these chiefs exemplifies the changing role of the fire and emergency services today. Both Chief Werner and Chief Lee are excellent examples of the commitment and dedication required for leadership of fire and emergency service agencies."
The 2008 Chief of the Year awards are sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing, the leading North American manufacturer of fire apparatus. Wilson Jones, president of Pierce, will co-present the awards at the upcoming ceremony.
Established in 1956, Fire Chief is the magazine for progressive leaders of emergency services. Articles by fire officers and specialists from across the country and around the world cover a wide variety of topics that are important to fire and emergency medical service leaders. In addition, a monthly department lineup provides targeted information, in a quick, accessible format. Fire Chief offers three print and six electronic products to serve chief officers, incident commanders, training officers, safety officers and other titles and ranks. Fire Chief recently introduced its Station Style Conference, which targets fire and emergency service response facilities. More information on the publication can be found at www.firechief.com.
Penton Media, Inc. is the largest independent business-to-business media company in the U.S., serving more than six million business professionals every month. The company's market-leading brands are focused on 30 industries and include 113 trade magazines, 145 Web sites, 150 industry trade shows and conferences, and more than 500 information data products. Headquartered in New York City, the privately held company is owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP, and its co-investors. For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.
CONTACT:
Bethany Weaver
Corporate Communications Manager, Penton Media
Phone: (216) 931-9551
E-mail: bethany.weaver@penton.com