Valdosta Mayor John Gayle and Valdosta Fire Chief Freddie Broome honored Assistant Chief Brian Boutwell at the January 10, City Council meeting. On December 12, 2018, Boutwell completed the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy’s (NFA) “Executive Fire Officer Program” (EFO) Program.

Chief Boutwell is the first member of the Valdosta Fire Department to complete the EFO program.

The National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO) is a four-year curriculum that provides Senior Fire Officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) administration. The courses and accompanying research examine how to exercise leadership when dealing with severe or unique problems within communities. Acceptance into the program is highly competitive. During the four-year program, Assistant Chief Brian Boutwell completed extensive research in the following areas:

1. Executive Development research - recruiting qualified female firefighters.

2. Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction Research - identifying the problems with fall injuries for the City of Valdosta.

3. Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Research – conducting damage assessments for the City of Valdosta.

4. Executive Leadership Research - evaluating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in the Valdosta Fire Department.

“This is a prestigious program and we are so proud of Chief Boutwell for his accomplishment. This is a great example of the Valdosta Fire Department’s commitment to its personnel, “said Chief Freddie Broome. “With the research, each project is turned in and graded. If you get a 3.0 or higher it is actually published. Chief Boutwell now has three articles published with the National Fire Academy database.”