Auburn Fire Chief Geoffrey Low (l.), with Auburn City Manager Peter Crichton

The National Fire Academy has announced that Auburn Fire Chief Geoffrey Low has successfully completed its four-year Executive Fire Officer program. To earn the Executive Fire Officer designation, Low completed a unique series of advanced graduate-level courses.

“This intensive program is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire administration,” says U.S. Fire Administrator G. Keith Bryant. “It provides fire service officers with the expertise they need to succeed in today’s challenging environment.”

The program is comprised of the following courses: Executive Development, which emphasizes team development and consensus decision-making to enhance organizational effectiveness; Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction, which focuses on the value and application of community risk reduction techniques and on developing community partnerships to implement programs, initiatives, and services that prevent and/or mitigate human-made or natural disasters; Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations, a critical curriculum in today’s incident response environment; and Executive Leadership, which examines all aspects of executive-level leadership and brings 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 effect 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.”

Chief Low’s certificate was presented by Auburn City Manager Peter Crichton at a recent 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.”

Chief Low, who also earned a Chief Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence a year ago, has Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Fire Science, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Public Administration.

He began his career in the Fire Service more than 30 years ago as a Junior Firefighter. Also a paramedic, he has spent 23 years with the Auburn Fire Department, serving as Deputy Chief and in his current capacity as Chief.