Firegeezer.com has just received the following press release from the USFA:

FROM: Nancy Ward
Acting Administrator

SUBJECT: Deputy Assistant Administrator for the United States Fire Administration

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Glenn A. Gaines, a 37 year veteran of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Fire & Rescue Department, to the position of Deputy Assistant Administrator for the United States Fire Administration (USFA); he will also immediately begin serving as the Acting U.S. Fire Administrator. Glenn brings to USFA a unique set of skills and experiences that fit extremely well with the missions of both FEMA and the USFA.

Having started as a volunteer firefighter and fire officer, Chief Gaines rose through the various ranks to become Fire Chief of a metropolitan community serving a population of over one million people. Along the way he served in key roles in the areas of training, prevention, and operations, as well as overseeing a nationally recognized Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team that was deployed many times both within the United States and internationally.

Chief Gaines holds a degree in Fire Administration, has authored several texts and articles on fire service issues, and has served as an instructor at USFA's National Fire Academy.

A well respected member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and its Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section, Chief Gaines has spent the past eight years as a principal architect and manager of both the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program and SAFER grant programs. As such, he has a keen understanding of the needs of career, combination, and volunteer fire departments and the issues affecting them during these unique times in our Nation's history.

We appreciate Chief Gaines' willingness to serve in this critical position and welcome what we know will be his positive contributions to both USFA and FEMA as we go about fulfilling our responsibilities to the American public.

I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank National Fire Academy Superintendent, Dr. Denis Onieal for his leadership of the USFA during this period of transition and for his dedication to the success of the USFA in the countless meetings and activities he has been involved in, while still leading the efforts of the National Fire Academy.