Chief Adam Thiel

With nearly two decades in the field, Adam Thiel is a recognized thought leader across the fire and emergency services. Currently fire chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia—a diverse and densely populated urban community in the National Capital Region—Chief Thiel provides overall leadership and strategic direction for the city’s fire/injury prevention, all-hazards emergency response, emergency medical services, building/fire code administration, and emergency management functions.

Adam’s operational experience includes serving with distinction in four states (MD, NC, AZ, and VA) as a chief officer, incident commander, company officer, hazardous materials team leader, paramedic, technical rescuer, structural/wildland fire fighter, and rescue SCUBA diver. Chief Thiel directly participated in response/recovery efforts for several major disasters including the 9/11 tragedy, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Isabel, and the 2009/10 blizzards.

In 2002, Adam was appointed by then-Governor Mark Warner to lead the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) through a critical post-9/11 transition and state fiscal crisis. Executive Director Thiel transformed VDFP—modernizing systems, adding capacity, and enhancing capabilities—by engaging employees and stakeholders in charting the agency’s course. During his tenure in state government, Adam was a member of the Commonwealth Preparedness Working Group, Virginia Emergency Response Council, State Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Advisory Committee, Critical Infrastructure Working Group, and Child Day-Care Council.

Chief Thiel earned undergraduate degrees in history and fire science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of Maryland University College, respectively; he holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University and is finishing his doctoral degree in public administration at Arizona State University. Beyond completing the Virginia Executive Institute and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Adam is a Certified Emergency Manager® (CEM), Chief Fire Officer® (CFO) designee, and Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE).

For the past fourteen years, Chief Thiel has provided strategy, planning, risk management, and leadership consulting/expertise to international organizations, non-profits, government agencies at all levels, educational institutions, and private firms. Adam has authored more than 20 publications and presented at more than 30 conferences in multiple states/countries. He teaches graduate-level courses at several colleges/universities; writes a regular column in Fire Chief magazine; serves as a technical adviser for the FireRescue1 website; and chairs the program advisory board for 24-7 FIRE.

Chief Thiel is active in a number of professional groups, boards and committees: he chairs the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committee on Emergency Services Organization Risk Management; is a member of the National Fire Academy Board of Visitors; is a Fire 20/20 board member; and serves on the steering committee for George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute.

Beyond his professional activities, Adam is a volunteer youth mentor, endurance athlete, Ironman® triathlon finisher, Crossfitt enthusiast, martial artist, adventure racer, SCUBA diver, and father of two energetic children.