Chief
Anne Arundel County Fire Department
Annapolis, Maryland
Trisha L. Wolford is the Fire Chief of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Maryland, one of the largest combination fire departments in the country. Chief Wolford is the 12th Fire Chief in the 56-year history of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. Anne Arundel County is 580 square miles, covered by 31 fire stations, which serve a population of almost 600,000. Chief Wolford is responsible for 981 career firefighters, approximately 600 operational volunteer firefighters, 28 fire communications operators, and 56 civilian support staff.
Chief Wolford was hired by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department on January 26, 2006. Chief Wolford operated as a firefighter/paramedic until her assignment to the Fire Marshal’s Office in 2011. She spent seven months training at the Anne Arundel County Police Academy and was sworn in as a law enforcement officer in May 2012. She was then assigned to the Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit where she promoted to Lieutenant in 2014. With her law enforcement and paramedic background, Chief Wolford was a part of the Anne Arundel County Tactical Medic SWAT program for four years, providing medical attention to the Anne Arundel County Police SWAT Team.
In December 2015, she accepted the position of Deputy Fire Chief/Fire Marshal with the Bozeman Fire Department in Bozeman, Montana. She was responsible for administrative services, public education, code enforcement, fire investigation, fire inspections, company inspections, and city Fire Marshal duties.
In 2017, Chief Wolford joined the Spokane Fire Department as the Assistant Fire Chief overseeing full operations of the department. She directly supervised Deputy Chiefs managing Operations, Training, Support Services, Human Resources, and the Fire Marshal Division. On January 28, 2019, she returned to Anne Arundel County to fulfill her dream of becoming Fire Chief in her home department.
Chief Wolford received her Bachelor’s Degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV and a Master’s Degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Western Governor’s University. She is currently enrolled in an MBA program with an expected graduation in 2021. She received her Paramedic certification from Anne Arundel Community College in 2009 and continues to be a Nationally Registered Paramedic. She is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and a graduate of the IAFC’s Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) and holds a CFO and CFM designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Chief Wolford is the Alternate Board Member for the IAFC Metro Chiefs Section Executive Board, member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Human Relations Committee and Chair of the Professional Development Committee.
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Friday, August 26, 2022
3:15 PM – 4:45 PM