On November 18, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., for the position of Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), to which he was nominated by President Barack Obama.

Mitchell served as a Battalion Chief for the City of Compton, CA, before being hired as Fire Chief and Deputy City Manager of Monrovia, CA, in 1991. In 1998 he became the Fire Chief and Assistant Director of Disaster Emergency Services for the City of Pasadena (CA) Fire Department. In 2004, Mitchell served as the President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“On behalf of the National Volunteer Fire Council and the nation’s volunteer emergency services, I congratulate Chief Mitchell on his Senate confirmation and look forward to working with him in his new position as U.S. Fire Administrator,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg.