Franklin, TN – Franklin Fire Chief Rocky Garzarek was recently honored as President for the 2013-2014 Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs (SEAFC). The announcement and swearing in ceremony was made at the annual conference held in Charleston, South Carolina in June.

The SEAFC includes Tennessee and nine other states, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is one of eight regional divisions of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, an organization established in 1873 that represents the leadership of over 1.2 million firefighters and emergency responders in the U.S. and Canada.

Garzarek said the mission of the SEAFC is to provide leadership, education, information, and networking to career and volunteer chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations. Knoxville will be hosting next year’s conference. Chief Garzarek’s leadership in the city has improved its fire protection rating twice with the Insurance Services Office (ISO) since becoming chief in 2004. The City of Franklin now has a Class 2 rating, the best in the state.

Garzarek is also a Peer Assessor for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, is active on the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Legislative Committee, and was a contributing author/reviewer of the International Fire Service Training Association Chief Officer manual.

Garzarek has a B.S. in Public Administration from Athens State University in Athens, Alabama and an A.A.S. in Fire Science from Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service LEAD (Leading, Educating and Developing) program.

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