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The most influential fire service leaders of all time.Every industry has its big names — the legends or GOATs whom everyone knows and most revere.The fire service is no different, with historic figures, innovators and visionaries who have shaped the industry itself, or at least informed and impacted fire service leaders spanning multiple generations.We asked our esteemed board members, columnists and contributors to highlight the best of the best; those leaders whose influence was — and in most cases, still is — felt far and wide.Here’s what they shared.Note: The list is in no particular order.Did we miss someone?Share your thoughts and send us an email!Alan Brunacini (1937-2017) Fire chief, Phoenix Fire Department; author; creator, Blue Card command program; chairman, NFPA board It wouldn’t be a best-of list without “America’s Fire Chief.” Chief Brunacini may be the most well-known and respected fire chief to have ever served the American fire service — and for good reason.His impact on the fire service is far-reaching and profound, particularly in the areas of safety, command and customer service.Joanne Rund, fire chief, Baltimore County Fire Department, shared this about meeting Bruno at an officers training in Howard County: “I remember walking in and thinking, ‘Wow, look at this guy in his Hawaiian shirt and his laid-back approach.’ He had such a commonsense approach to everything and was very warm and welcoming to questions and ideas.He was the first chief I had spoken to that I felt comfortable with, and he really made an incredible impression on me to want to climb the ranks and make everyone feel that comfortable with me.He taught me to treat ‘Mrs.Smith’ as I would my own parents — the old saying treat others how you wish to be treated.” Marc Bashoor, fire chief (ret.) and a FireRescue1 senior advisor, emphasized that Chief Brunacini needs little explanation to be on the list, but we’ll humor the newcomers.Bashoor shared this about Bruno’s influence: “Like many, my introduction to Chief Brunacini was with ‘Mr.Smith’ and his ‘Be nice’ mantra.Chief Brunacini taught us that we needed to stop trying to overcomplicate the mission.I had the honor to share the stage with Chief Brunacini, he the ‘old chief’ and me the “young chief” at a 2011 Fire-Rescue International educational session.Brunacini’s legacy will endure through the Blue Card system.” | MORE: The impact of Alan Brunacini: What all firefighters should know about ‘America’s fire chief’ Dr.Denis Onieal Former deputy U.S.fire administrator; National Fire Academy superintendent; fire chief, Jersey City Fire Department Chief Bashoor continues his list with another fire service legend: “My introduction to Dr.Onieal was through the National Fire Academy.His down-to-earth, no-nonsense style resonated with me from day 1.His willingness to sit down with the troops, regardless of rank or stature, is something I continue to emulate today.Onieal has mentored so many of us over the years on the pursuit of higher education and credentialing that I believe his legacy will be firmly rooted in the triumphs of EFO graduates and chiefs who will mentor others who follow.” Billy Goldfeder, deputy chief of the Loveland-Symmes (Ohio) Fire Department, also spotlights Dr.Onieal: “With street cred as a Jersey City Fire chief, Dr.Onieal retired from there and took that along with his educational background and led the National Fire Academy into the 21st century.I’m not sure anyone else without his unique mix of an urban fire officer and a scholar could have taken the NFA to the next level, which it definitely needed.Not only were the programs needing upgrading, but the need to apply discipline and order at the NFA was obvious — and he was the right person for the job, and he succeeded greatly by all accounts.” | LISTEN: Dr.Onieal on the Side Alpha Podcast Hal Bruno (1928-2011) Former National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) chairman; ABC News political director; Chevy Chase (Maryland) Fire Department director Chief Ron Siarnicki, executive director for the NFFF, details his early encounters with Hal Bruno: “Hal reached out to me when I was the Prince George’s Fire Department PIO.He was a volunteer firefighter in Montgomery County and followed my media efforts.Hal would provide advice and input on how to best interact with the media from a fire service perspective.He had worldwide experience with the media and was always able to bring it down to the local level.“Hal had the ability to allow individuals to master their trade while giving guidance in a non-critical presentation.Most of all, he showed the true essence about caring for his people, his community and the fire service as a whole.” | MORE: Learn about Hal Bruno from the NFFF Assistant Chief Carl Holmes (1927-2017) Assistant chief, Oklahoma City Fire Department Goldfeder shared the impact of Assistant Chief Carl Holmes, a beacon for diversity and leadership in the fire service: “I became friends with Carl in 1982, and I have to say that he really opened my eyes up to what a fire officer should be expected to be.In the following years, I took every seminar and class he offered, and he became a mentor and friend.“Carl was one of the first 12 African Americans appointed to the Oklahoma City FD in 1951.Carl and his cohort worked hard to blend into the semi-segregation of two firehouses to which they were assigned, and they ultimately received an award given to the most efficient fire crews in the city.“Holmes acknowledged that becoming an officer would be the hardest task he would face in his career.After retiring in 1981, he founded the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute for Fire Management Training.While I am white and Carl had a profound impact on me and thousands of other white firefighters, he is best known for mentoring thousands of African American firefighters in leadership training from 1981 to his passing in 2017.“This is just a small sampling of what motivated Carl to never give up and to provide hope, training and positive outcomes to thousands of firefighters, but especially African American firefighters, as today, so many of the most influential African American fire chiefs are those who gained from Carl’s giving.” Dennis Compton Former chairman, NFFF Board of Directors; fire chief, Mesa, Ariz.; chairman of IFSTA executive board; chairman, CFSI National Advisory Committee Siarnicki continues his list with a living legend: “Denny and I work alongside one another while at the NFFF.His guidance and counsel from a national fire serve perspective was far beyond so many others.His ability to cut throughout the chatter and get to the meat of the issue is one of his most significant traits.He knows how to lead and most of all how to let others in leadership roles beneath him do what they needed to do.Most of all, Denny has the uncanny ability to be a visionary and see things four to five steps downstream, allowing his efforts to not step on those unexpected landmines.” Dr.Lori Moore-Merrell Former U.S.fire administrator; founder, International Public Safety Data Institute Goldfeder highlights the unique background of our current U.S.fire administrator: “Lori started as a firefighter-paramedic in Memphis and the rest is history.IMO most importantly, while she was employed by the IAFF, she (and the union) always made sure her work was shared with all.It is because Lori put the science behind the needs for staffing — adequate staffing — that most fire department’s today are able to prove their local needs.While for years, departments, chiefs and unions used the ‘emotional’ aspect of why we need adequate staffing on the first alarm, Lori dug deep and has proven time and time again by using numbers and science why staffing is at the heart of any successful fire response.” | READ NEXT: ‘Something I can never repay’ — How Dr.Lori Moore-Merrell’s career was shaped by the fire family Dennis Smith (1940-2022) FDNY firefighter; author, “Rep