[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] Fwd: Corey A. Smedley Named City of Alexandria’s Fire Chief

[Ian]

Corey A. Smedley Named City of Alexandria’s Fire Chief

For Immediate Release: December 16, 2019

[image: Fire Chief Corey Smedley]After a nationally competitive recruitment
effort, City Manager Mark B. Jinks has appointed Corey A. Smedley as fire
chief for the City of Alexandria, effective immediately. Chief Smedley, who
has served as acting fire chief since the retirement of Robert C. Dubé in
June, will be the first African American to serve as permanent fire chief
in Alexandria’s history.

“Throughout his 25-year career, Chief Smedley has been involved in nearly
every aspect of fire and emergency medical service,” said Jinks. “His
leadership both within the Fire Department and with our community and
regional partners shows he has the necessary qualities and experience to
lead our Fire Department into the next decade.”

As acting fire chief, Smedley worked with City and regional agencies to
develop a joint recruit training program with the Metropolitan Washington
Airports Authority; enhance analytics and performance indicators; establish
better fiscal control measures; centralize the Fire Marshal’s Office; and
implement increased minimum staffing on fire engines and trucks.
Previously, he served as Assistant Fire Chief of Administration,
responsible for support services, human resources, and information
technology.

Smedley joined the City in 2015 as Deputy Fire Chief of Emergency
Management and Homeland Security, responsible for improving community
preparedness for major emergencies. In this position, he worked with local
and regional partners to update the Emergency Operations Plan and the
Threats and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Plan for the City. He
led the launch of the City’s new Emergency Operations Center, which was
activated in May 2019. Chief Smedley has also worked with various state,
regional and local agencies to provide training for the City’s public
safety personnel and staff in other departments. He was the inaugural chair
of the advisory committee to the Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments Homeland Security Executive Committee, which recommends
regional preparedness priorities and the allocation of federal homeland
security funding to area localities.

Before joining the City, Smedley served as the Deputy Chief of the Prince
George's County (Maryland) Fire/EMS Department. During his 20-year tenure
with the County, he served in roles as varied as firefighter, Operations
Duty Chief, Fire Marshal, Special Events Coordinating Chair, FedExField
Stadium Commander, and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Chief Administrative
Officer for Public Safety.

Smedley is a Nationally Registered Paramedic and a certified fire
inspector, instructor and investigator, and earned the Certified Public
Manager credential from The George Washington University. He holds a
bachelor's degree in mass media from the University of the District of
Columbia and a master's degree in organizational management from Johns
Hopkins University.