Chief Ronny J. Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Award

Background 
Ronny J. Coleman is a retired Fire Chief, California State Fire Marshal, and Deputy Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He was appointed to serve as State Fire Marshal under Governor Wilson and did so honorably for over eight years. It was during his tenure that the State Fire Marshal's Office was merged into the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, now known as Cal Fire.

Ronny has devoted more than 60 years of his life to the fire service. In 1999, he was selected as one of the 20 Most Influential Fire Service Leaders of the 20th Century by Fire Chief Magazine. A prolific writer, dynamic speaker, and passionate leader, Coleman has been at the forefront of many advances in firefighter leadership, safety, fire prevention, code enforcement, training, and technical innovation.

Coleman has served in many elected positions, including President of, the International Association of Fire Chiefs; Vice President, of the International Committee for Prevention and Control of Fire (CTIF); and President of the California League of Cities, Fire Chiefs Department. He has served as Fire Chief in several cities, including San Clemente and Fullerton, and as interim Chief in many more, including the south bay area cities of Fremont and Mountain View, and, most recently, the North Bay area City of Santa Rosa.

In 2010, Ronny was appointed Chairman of the California State Firefighters Association Volunteer Committee, and following that led a very successful four-year series of grant-funded workshops for Volunteer FD's on Leadership, Recruiting, and Retention. 

Chief Coleman served on the Public Safety Committee for the League of California Cities for almost 20 years and served as Chairman of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) from 1984 – 2005. The Center for Public Safety Excellence named a perpetual trophy devoted to Excellence in Leadership after Chief Coleman, and he was elected as a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers by the British Chapter.

He has served as a panel member on the re-constituted “America Burning” panel and was a member of the US Fire Administrations Stakeholder Committee. Coleman served on the Fireman’s Fund Heritage Program National Committee, and also currently serves as the President of The National Fire Heritage Center. This organization is dedicated to "preserving the perishable" - the written, photographic, and film history of the fire profession in the United States. They are based in Emmitsburg, Maryland, adjacent to the campus of the National Fire Academy.

He has served as Chairman of the International Accreditation Services, Technical Advisory Committee on the Accreditation of Fire Prevention Bureaus for the International Code Council. In 2011, he was appointed to the National Construction Safety Team Panel, under the jurisdiction of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He was named President Emeritus of the Fire & Emergency Television Network, and Chairman Emeritus of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.

Ronny was a long-time columnist for Fire Chief Magazine and Sprinkler Age Magazine and has authored or contributed to more than nineteen textbooks for the fire community. His latest work is to co-author a text entitled “Fire Marshal” for Jones and Bartlett Publishers. He currently writes a column for Fire Engineering magazine.

The California Fire Chiefs Association named their annual Fire Chief of the Year Award after Chief Coleman in 2000. Ronny was recently awarded special recognition by the President of the International Code Council (ICC) for his lifetime involvement in the development of fire codes. He was recently appointed to the ICC Membership Development Committee. 

In 2011, Ronny received the Mason Lankford Award from the Congressional Fire Caucus Institute for his lifetime of achievements. As part of this recognition, former Governor Wilson said "...he was not just a participant in making the firefighting profession better, he was THE leader in making it better....In everything he did, the professionalism and advancement of the fire service at the local and state level was his top priority."

Ronny was honored by the International Public Safety Leadership & Ethics Institute (IPSLEI) along with Attorney and Educator Gordon Graham in 2015. In addition, the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) recognized him in 2016 with the Everett E. Hudiburg Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in fire service training. It was presented to him at during the July 2016 general session of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) annual validation conference. 

The Hudiburg Award is the highest honor IFSTA can bestow on an individual who has made significant contributions to the training of firefighters and is named after Everett Hudiburg who was Editor from 1955 through 1975, of IFSTA publications, which were known as "The Red Books". His contributions to the organization's training materials are recognized through this award which bears his name. During the award presentation, Ronny was recognized for his significant contributions to the training of past and future firefighters within every aspect of the fire service. 

Criteria for Award Selection
Each year the California Fire Chiefs Association accepts nominations for the Ronny J Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Award. To be selected for the award the nominee must meet the following criteria that have been established by the CFCA Board of Directors:

• Nominees must be current fire chiefs.
• Nominees must be current members of the California Fire Chiefs Association.
• Nominees may not currently be on the Board of Directors for the California Fire Chiefs Association (past BOD members would qualify).
• Nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria encompassing their lifelong contribution to the fire service:
  • Impact and contribution at the Local/County Level
  • Impact and contribution at the State Level
  • Impact and contribution at the National Level
  • Impact and contribution at the International Level

Selection Committee Membership
The selection committee will be made up of the Executive Board of Directors from the California Fire Chiefs Association and the two previous recipients of the award. If no nominee meets the selection criteria the award will not be given in that year.

Award Presentation
The Chief Ronny J. Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Award presentation will coincide with the CFCA installation ceremony at the annual conference.

Nominations are accepted from August 1 to August 31, 2023. To submit a nomination please complete a written summary of the nominee's qualifications into the following categories with the name, years of service, and contributions by category:

• Impact and contribution at the Local/County Level
  
• Impact and contribution at the State Level
  
• Impact and contribution at the National Level
  
• Impact and contribution at the International Level

The nomination submittal should not exceed four (4) written pages, if the nominee has supporting documentation or letters of support, please note the organization and contact person within the 4-page submission.

The selected nominee will be notified prior to the Annual Conference so they can invite family and special guests and would be expected to attend the Ronny Jack Coleman Fire Chief of the Year Ceremony scheduled for October 17, 2023, in Ontario as part of the business/installation of officers meeting. Send all nominations no later than August 31 at 5:00 pm to Executive Director Jeff Meston (jeff.meston@calchiefs.org).