Auburn fire chief completes four-year executive course

AUBURN — The National Fire Academy recently announced Auburn Fire Chief Geoffrey Low has completed its four-year executive fire officer program.
The program is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire administration, according to U.S. Fire Administrator G. Keith Bryant.

“It provides fire service officers with the expertise they need to succeed in today’s challenging environment,” Bryant said.
Low, who earned chief fire officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence a year ago, completed a unique series of four, highly advanced graduate-level courses taken over a four year period.
The required executive-level courses are:
* Executive Development, emphasizing team development and consensus decision-making to enhance organizational effectiveness;
* Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction, focusing on the value and application of community risk reduction and developing partnerships with the community to implement programs, initiatives and services that prevent and/or mitigate the risk of human-made or natural disasters;
* Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations, a critical curriculum in today’s incident-response environment;
* Executive Leadership, examining all aspects of executive-level leadership and tying together the educational experiences of the three previous courses.
“The Executive Fire Officer Program has been instrumental in changing my perspective of, and approach to, the challenges that affect both the department and community,” said Low. “With an emphasis on research and critical thinking, the program forced me to think more as an executive than any of my previous educational experiences. This opportunity has expanded my abilities to see the bigger picture, identify and consider long term impacts when making decisions, and gain better awareness of how the department interacts with and influences stakeholder groups on both large and small scales.”
Low’s certificate was presented by Auburn City Manager Peter Crichton at a department directors’ meeting.
“The entire Auburn team is very proud of you,” said Crichton. “The valuable leadership skills you have gained and the applied research aspect of your studies will serve your agency and our community well. Congratulations on this tremendous accomplishment.”
Low, who has associate and bachelor’s degrees in fire science, as well as master of business administration with a concentration in public administration, began his career in the fire service more than 30 years ago as a junior firefighter. He is also a paramedic and has spent 23 years with the Auburn Fire Department.

PHOTO: Auburn Fire Chief Geoffrey Low, left, City Manager Peter Crichton. Low recently completed a four-year executive fire officer program. (Submitted program)