TRX Advisors
Chief Charlie Dickinson was appointed to the position of Deputy Administrator by President Bush, in April of 2002. As the Deputy Administrator of the United States Fire Administration (USFA), Chief Dickinson manages all day-to-day operations of the USFA's National Emergency Training Center (NETC) facility and oversees all projects and programs of the USFA as assigned by the USFA Administrator and FEMA leadership.
Charlie began his 44-year fire service career as a firefighter in 1962 in the City of Hayward, California, Fire Department. Rising through the ranks, he was promoted to Battalion Chief in 1981 and served for three years in the Hayward Fire Department as the city's Emergency Services Coordinator.
In 1986, Chief Dickinson was appointed as an Assistant Fire Chief of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Fire. As an Assistant Chief, Charlie managed the Operations Division and the Training Division. In September of 1988, he was appointed to the position the Fire Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire and served in that capacity for 10 years before retiring from the Bureau in late 1998.
Chief Dickinson served as the Acting Fire Administrator from September 2005 until July of 2007. Throughout his career, Chief Dickinson has served on numerous committees and projects for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other national organizations.
Steven T. Edwards is the Director of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland. The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute is the state's comprehensive training agency for the emergency services, training over 38,000 students each year. He is a former Fire Chief of the Prince George's County Fire Department in Maryland where he served for twenty-five years in every position from high school cadet to Fire Chief. Mr. Edwards is the most recent past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), and the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI) National Advisory Committee, as well as numerous local and state level appointments. In 1997, he was elected as the President of the North American Fire Training Directors. Steven Edwards is a graduate of the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Service Management and a Master's Degree in General Administration. Both degrees were achieved with Summa Cum Laude honors. He has attended the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government "Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government", the National Fire Academy, and presented at national conferences and seminars. Mr. Edwards also is currently a member of the adjunct faculty at UMUC, serving as an Associate Professor and teaching its course in fire service personnel management. He is the author of the textbook Fire Service Personnel Management, published by Prentice-Hall.
During his career of over 40 years in the fire service, Edwards has received numerous awards and honors, including the Prince George's County Fire Department "Gold Star of Valor" in 1979 for the rescue of two firefighters at a major fire and explosion. During his tenure as Fire Chief the department received the IAFC Award for Excellence as well as twenty-eight National Association of Counties Awards for Excellence. Continuing his fire service career at the University of Maryland, the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute was selected as the Congressional Fire Service Institute National Fire Service Organization of the Year for 1999.At the University of Maryland Faculty Convocation in 2003, Director Edwards was presented the UMCP Presidents Distinguished Service Award for excellence and dedicated service to the University. At the 2004 International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Spring meeting Mr. Edwards was presented with the "Hudiberg" award, the highest honor within this association.