These awards acknowledge the importance of recognizing fire chiefs and officers in Eastern North Carolina. This program was conceived to recognize truly outstanding fire chiefs and officers whose actions and leadership in their profession, home, community and country, serve as an example and challenge for all other chief fire executives and officers.
The Eastern Carolina Firefighters Association Fire Chiefs and Fire Officers of the Year awards will be presented during the January Association meeting. The award recipients will be forwarded from the Eastern Region to the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs for consideration as the NCAFC Fire Chief of the Year Award and the NCAFC Fire Officer of the Year award, presented annually during the Mid-Winter Conference.
Award Criteria
Four awards will be presented annually:
1.) Career Fire Chief
2.) Combination/Volunteer Fire Chief
3.) Career Fire Officer
4.) Combination/Volunteer Fire Chief Officer
- A volunteer fire chief/ officer is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood by some means other than serving as a fire chief/ officer, even if the position carries some compensation.
- A career fire chief/officer is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood as a fire chief.
- In each category, the status of the fire department as a whole – paid, volunteer or combination – is not considered.
- Individuals who are eligible for nomination and selected as Fire Chief / Officer of the Year are limited to active fire chiefs (organization head) or Fire Officers of fire rescue agencies. Previous Fire Chief of the Year winners are not eligible for additional nomination.
- Selection criteria will emphasize leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the fire service as a whole.
- All of a nominee’s fire service activities and accomplishments will be considered. A nominee’s command role at a major emergency incident alone, while relevant, will not be enough to place that individual into contention for the award.
Nominations for Career and Combination/Volunteer Chiefs or Officers may come from any organization in the Eastern Region.
All nominations must comply with criteria below:
Nomination Period
The nomination period shall open on July 1st and close on September 30th, annually. Nominations shall be accepted for the current calendar year only. (Example: 2017 Fire Chief of the Year nominations shall be accepted July 1st to September 30th, 2017.)
Nomination Deadline
Deadline for nomination packages must be received by September 30th, annually.
Nomination Format
Steps to prepare the official nomination form:
1. Complete the official nomination form. Remember, this is a lifetime achievement award, not one specific incident.
2. Submit a cover letter on the organization’s letterhead, signed by the organization’s chairperson, president or executive director, county or city manager describing in less than 1200 words the nominee’s major accomplishments and why the candidate is being nominated.
Nomination Submittal
The nomination form and supporting documents comprise the entire documentation for a candidate’s nomination. Neither the nominee nor anyone representing him or her is to contact any member(s) of the ECFA Scholarship Committee or Board of Directors once the nomination has been made and before the final selection has been made. Any violations of this will subject the nominee to disqualification.
To complete a nomination for ECFA Fire Chief or Fire Officer of the Year, you must complete the Official Online Nomination Form. The downloadable forms are below. The completed application packet must be submitted by November 30th to:
No. 7 Township Fire Department
Attn: Ed Weigl
P.O. Box 3062
New Bern, NC 28564
Questions can be directed to Ed Weigl, Scholarship Committee Chair at (252) 229-9018.
The ECFA is not responsible for submissions received past the deadline of November 30th, annually.
Fire Chief / Officer of the Year selection committee
The current ECFA Scholarship Committee shall serve as the selection committee for Fire Chief and Fire Officer awards. Each nomination package will be reviewed by that committee.
