A new era at the State Fire Marshal’s Office is underway as Chief Dan Wallis takes the helm and former Chief Butch Browning becomes the next executive director of the National Association of State Fire Marshals. Wallis said while it’s an exciting time it’s also bittersweet to say goodbye to his friend Browning of more than thirty years.
“We’ve been best friends for a very long time, so I’m very happy for him. I’m happy for our nation and that he can bring his talents to a national level, and I’m prepared to step up to the plate and move our organization forward,” said Wallis.
Wallis, who served as Zachery Fire Chief for 28 years has been with the State Fire Marshal’s Office since 2008. He’s served as Browning’s righthand man, and he said he plans to expand on the values already set by his predecessor.
“There’s no use in re-inventing the wheel, we’ve got a great foundation, and we can only better ourselves, position people for success, and plan for the next 50 years,” said Wallis. One of the first challenges Wallis plans to address is the growing decline of first responders and how to retain them once they’ve entered the profession.
“We need to retool the way we think things and we need to start looking at what is it that motivates the men and women who are graduating from college, getting out of high school, choosing to change their career paths, and try to bring them into the public safety family,” said Wallis.
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