Prince William County has a new fire and rescue chief.
The Board of County Supervisors announced Tuesday night that Thomas LaBelle would take over the fire and rescue chief job, joining the county’s department from Henrico County Division of Fire, where he serves as a deputy chief and chief of staff. He’ll start in Prince William County on May 1.
Fire and Rescue Chief Timothy Keen retired at the start of September after three years as chief and more than 40 years with the county. James E. Forgo stepped in as interim chief.
Prior to joining Henrico’s fire division in 2018, LaBelle spent five years as a division chief with the Albermarle County fire and rescue department, managing volunteer components of that county’s combination rescue system.
Thomas LaBelle (Courtesy Inside NoVa)
“I know how much the public safety community and the public safety workforce and volunteers mean to this Board of County Supervisors and to the county executive and his staff,” LaBelle told the board Tuesday night. “To be allowed to work side-by-side with them as we continue to protect the citizens of this community is humbling for me. I appreciate the vote of confidence and I look forward to working with you.”
LaBelle earned a bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. According to a county press release, he’s currently working on a master’s degree in homeland security from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
Prince William County’s Fire and Rescue System is comprised of the Department of Fire and Rescue and eight volunteer fire and rescue departments. The organizations work together to provide firefighting and emergency medical services to the county and currently consist of 722 full-time employees and 391 operational volunteer personnel, according to the release.
At Tuesday night’s board meeting, County Executive Chris Shorter said his staff began the search with over 60 candidates.
“We have done a national recruitment process for our fire chief, a process that started with over 60 candidates. We have at this point found our new fire chief and appreciate the board’s support and approval,” Shorter said.
The new chief’s annual salary was not immediately available.
As the county’s fire and rescue system chief, LaBelle will be responsible for Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management Services. The county’s combined fire and rescue system provides emergency incident operations, emergency preparedness and staffing of the emergency operations center. The Fire and Rescue System also provides fire, injury and illness prevention for the community, along with training and education programs for the preparedness of department personnel.
LaBelle has a bachelor of science from Hartwick College and is working toward a master in. He graduated from the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in 2019. He holds multiple certifications, including Chief Fire Officer – Commission on Public Safety Credentialing and Pro Board Certificated as a Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor II and Fire Investigator.
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