The Fire Department Safety Officers Association
The membership has voted four new board members to the Fire Department Safety Officers Association board. The new members will join the four sitting members.
The new board members are:
- Rob McLeod, Disaster Preparedness Chief, Chandler, AZ, Fire Department has been elected Chairman of the Board
- Mike Petroff, Battalion Chief (Retired), Ferguson, MO, Fire Department has been elected Vice Chairman of the Board
- Robert J. McGill, Fire Marshal, Aerojet has been elected Corporate Director
- Ian Laing, Assistant Deputy Chief, Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services has been elected International Director
A special thanks to all the members who took the time to vote in the recent elections. The new Board held its first meeting on September 26, 2009.
Robert L. McLeod is Disaster Preparedness Chief for the Chandler, AZ, Fire Department and has been an active member in FDSOA since 1997. Rob is a fourth generation firefighter with 32 years of career experience in Sarasota, FL and Chandler, AZ. Rob has worked in all phases of the fire
service from dispatcher, firefighter, driver, lieutenant, captain and battalion chief. He has also served as a training officer and EMS officer.
Rob was a certified paramedic for 19 years. He has been the Health & Safety Chair for the Chandler, AZ, Fire Department since 1996. Rob is currently assigned as the Emergency Preparedness / Homeland Security Chief for Chandler Fire Department. He is nationally certified as a Health & Safety Officer through FDSOA and served as FDSOA Western Director from 2005 - 2007.
Mike Petroff is a retired Battalion Chief from Ferguson, MO, Fire Department. Mike served as FDSOA Western Director from 2005 - 2008. He currently represents FDSOA on the NFPA 1021 Committee and Cengage - Delmar Emergency Advisory Board. Mike is also the Region 7 Regional Advocate for the National Fallen Firefighters Everyone Goes Home Program. Mike is a certified Incident Safety Officer through FDSOA holds a Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education from Central Missouri State University, is certified Instructor III, Incident Safety Officer -Fire Suppression, Fire Officer II and was a member of the St. Louis County Overhead Response Team.
Robert J. McGill is considered an “old timer” with the FDSOA, “R.J.” was part of the original group that started the FDSOA under Mary McCormack’s tutorage. “R.J.” was an early Chairman of the Board and later filled the position of Corporate Director. He is the current Fire Marshal and Building Official for the Aerojet Industrial Park east of Sacramento, California, having retired last year but called back to provide leadership in training a
replacement for the slot. He has passed 53 years of service with the Industrial Park and after his involvement with rocket engineering and manufacturing, had previously completed 20 years as the Fire Chief and an additional 10 years as the Fire Marshal/Building Official. His focus has always been in the interest in safety among the tenants of the park which include the Aerojet General aerospace company and the American Pacific Fine Chemical Company which manufactures and develops pharmaceutical reagents and final products. The Aerojet work includes the development and manufacture of products related to the aerospace field that includes liquid propellant powered rocket engines, solid propellant powered rockets for armament and space work as well. The aerospace products included diversification in many fields, including the manufacturing of installed fire systems in automotive and truck vehicles. Most of the work involves the handling and processing of high risk explosives and chemicals. His education includes a graduate Mechanical Engineer, a Business MBA as well as certificates in Chemistry and Physics.
“R.J.” is a member of the FIRESCOPE Safety Working Group, a certified California HazMat Technician/Specialist, an Incident Commander and Type 4 Safety Officer. In addition, he is a certified instructor in Fire and HazMat response and a member of the CSTI staff in California, the approved training arm of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. His affiliations include working with the Safety and Health section of the IAFC, Chairman of Region 4 LEPC, and past member of NFPA committees.
His main interests in working for FDSOA are directed to providing Research and Development efforts towards improvement of responder’s equipment and procedures and integrating safety in all Fire Department operations, and of course networking with Safety Officers in improving the Professional Standards for their association. He remains emeritus Fire Chief and Fire Marshal at the Aerojet Industrial Park, emeritus Chairman of FDSOA and a Lifetime member of IAFC and NFPA.
Ian Laing is currently Assistant Deputy Chief, Mississauga Fire & Emergency in Canada and has been an active member in FDSOA since 2001. With over 34 years of experience with the Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, Ian started as a firefighter and worked up through Captain and District Chief positions, to his current position as Assistant Deputy Chief. As the Assistant Deputy Chief for the 6th largest career fire service in Canada, he is tasked with the responsibility of all fleet acquisitions and repairs, equipment procurement, facilities and personal protective equipment. He is also the Co-Chair of the department’s Joint Health and Safety Committee.