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Chief James P. Seavey Sr. has been awarded Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by Fire Chief Magazine. Sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing, the award annually honors a volunteer fire chief who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public, and contributions to the fire service as a whole. Seavey is the chief of the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department in Maryland as well as a Board member on the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC).
 
“The NVFC offers our utmost congratulations to Chief Seavey on receiving this award,” said NVFC Chairman and 1998 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Philip C. Stittleburg. “He is certainly deserving of this prestigious honor, and we join Fire Chief Magazine in celebrating his remarkable achievements in the fire service.”

 

Seavey received the award during Fire-Rescue International in Dallas, TX, last week. “Thank you all so very much for this great honor,” he said during his acceptance speech.  “I am deeply blessed and truly humbled; and may God bless all of us in the fire, rescue, and EMS profession with safety and health.” Seavey also said he shared the award with the many individuals, mentors, organizations, and especially his family that have guided and supported him throughout his lifelong devotion to the fire service.

 

Seavey grew up in Montgomery County, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. His desire to join the fire service began while he was still in preschool, and he joined his local fire department as a junior member as soon as he turned the required age of 16. Since then, he has served the fire service in almost every capacity - from firefighter to chief and everything in between. He has also served in many different types of departments, from city to suburban to rural to federal. He currently serves as a career firefighter in Washington, DC, in addition to serving as a volunteer fire chief in Maryland.

 

Seavey became the Chief of the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department in Montgomery County in 1992 and is now the longest serving fire chief in the department’s history. During his tenure as chief, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills through several major disasters. He effectively led his department through the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, administering the staff and operations of the department while his apparatus responded to the nearby Pentagon. When a tidal surge in Baltimore Harbor during Hurricane Isabel hit residences in 2005, Seavey was part of a team that saved 269 people. In December 2008, he served as Branch Commander during rescue operations after a water main break on a major traffic route in suburban Maryland.

 

Seavey is a passionate advocate on behalf of volunteer firefighters, and has taken on tough issues facing the volunteer fire service, including retention and recruitment, funding, and training. He is an avid proponent of the rights of career firefighters to volunteer during their off-duty hours.

 

“I implore upon our leadership in the nation’s fire service to resolve the two-hatter controversy,” Seavey said while receiving the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Award. “The tens of thousands of career firefighters, who on their days off devote themselves for their communities within which they grew up or now reside, deserve it. Such service is much more than a simple human right and dignity; it is a passion for those that feel the call to do so.”

 

Seavey is a respected and active member of many local, state, and national fire service organizations. He has served as Director and now Alternate Director for Maryland on the NVFC Board of Directors, and is also a Board member of the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Maryland State Firemen’s Association, the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association, and the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Chief Officers Association. In addition, he is a member of many other organizations, taskforces, and work groups that support and further the fire and emergency services.

 

Seavey has also worked to further the U.S. fire service on an international level. He has cultivated a relationship with the Halstenbek Volunteer Fire Department, located outside of Hamburg, Germany, as part of a “sister city” program. Seavey has played a pivotal role in fostering a foundation for international fire service cooperation and understanding by creating an opportunity for cultural, technological, and educational exchange between the U.S. and German fire services. In recognition of his efforts, the German Fire Service has awarded him with the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals and the German Silver Cross.

 

Under Seavey’s leadership, the Cabin John Park Fire Department also hosted a delegation from the fire service of Japan in 2007. The Japanese delegation visited the U.S. as part of an ongoing effort to share ideas and address common challenges between the fire services of the two countries.

 

Seavey’s hard work and dedication to the fire service can be seen in everything he does. He has remained a committed and active member of the fire service throughout his life.

 

“Chief Seavey demonstrates all of the qualities you would expect from a Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year – dedication, skill, outstanding leadership, integrity, professional development, and overall outstanding service to his community, state, and country,” said Stittleburg. “I know he will continue to be a true leader and tireless activist within the fire service for many years to come.”