About Chief David B. Fulmer
Chief Fulmer began his fire service career in 1983 with the Pleasant Hill Volunteer Fire Department located in Steubenville, Ohio. During his tenure he held the rank of junior firefighter, senior firefighter, Lieutenant, and Captain. David left the department in 1993.
In 1989 Chief Fulmer accepted a position with the City of Fairlawn Fire Department located West of Akron, Ohio [www.cityoffairlawn.com]. He held the position of Firefighter/EMT-B and fire inspector. While working for the City of Fairlawn he was actively involved with the Summit County Hazardous Materials Team as a hazardous materials technician.
In October of 1993 Chief Fulmer accepted a position with the University of Illinois – Fire Service Institute [FSI] located in Champaign, Illinois [www.fsi.uiuc.edu]. He held a faculty position as an Assistant Fire Service Education Specialist with the Fire Service Institute, which was the State of Illinois Fire Academy. During his tenure at FSI, he was a core member of the faculty for the Fire Academy that trained career and volunteer firefighters in meeting the training standards as set forth by the Office of the State Fire Marshal [www.state.il.us/osfm/] and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress [www.ifsac.org]. He also was responsible for the Smoke Diver’s Program and Weekend Structural Burn sessions. During his last assignment he was assigned as the program manager for the Fire Officer Development Programs and the Annual Fire College, which is the Nation’s longest consecutive run fire college.
While at the University of Illinois – Fire Service Institute Chief Fulmer served with the Village of Savoy Fire Department
[www.village.savoy.il.us], located south of Champaign, Illinois. During his tenure with the department he held to positions of firefighter, Captain, and Assistant Chief.
In 1998 Chief Fulmer accepted the Fire Chief’s position with the City of Fitchburg Fire Department [www.fitchburgfire.com], which is a suburb of Madison, WI. During his tenure with Fitchburg Chief Fulmer was responsible for implementing a part-time staffing program to augment career staffing as well as completing a draft strategic plan. During that time he also served as the Secretary for the Dane County Fire Chief’s Association and as the Executive Secretary/Treasurer for the Wisconsin State Fire Chief’s Association [www.wsfca.com].
In 2002 Chief Fulmer accepted the Fire Chief's position with the Miami Township Division of Fire/EMS [www.miamitownshipfire-ems.com], which is located in Miamisburg, Ohio. This combination department protected a geographic area of approximately 22-square miles with a population of approximately 27,000 residents. The department responded to approximately 3,800 emergency responses annually from four fire stations. Chief Fulmer left Miami Township in 2009 to assume the position of Fire Chief with the West Licking Joint Fire District.
Chief Fulmer currently serves as the Fire Chief/Administrator for the West Licking Joint Fire District, a position he has held since April of 2009. The District, which was formed in 1983 is one of the largest Fire Districts in the State of Ohio. The District protects 109 square miles and is comprised of: City of Reynoldsburg, City of Pataskala, Village of Kirkersville, Village of New Albany, Entna Township, Harrison Township, and Jersey Township with a residential population of approximately 50,000 residents. The District is comprised of 60 career uniformed personnel, 3 career non-uniformed personnel, and approximately 40 part-time employees that respond from three fire stations and answer approximately 4,500 emergency response per year. The District is funded through 11.5 mil and its FY2011 budget is approximately $9,200,000.00.
Chief Fulmer is a graduate of the University of Akron. He received an Associates of Applied Science in Fire Protection Technologies [http://sc.uakron.edu/?/publicservice/fp.html] and a Bachelor’s Science in Technical Education [http://www.uakron.edu/colleges/educ/] in 1992. He continued his education while serving with the University of Illinois and received his Masters in Public Administration from Governor’s State University [www.govst.edu], located in University Park, Illinois, in 1998. In 2005 Chief Fulmer began working on his post-graduate studies. He is enrolled in Walden University’s School of Management.. Once completed his Ph.D. will be in Management with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Change. He is currently on a leave of absence from the college. [http://info.waldenu.edu/businessmanagement.php].
Chief Fulmer is a 1998 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer’s Program [www.usfa.dhs.gov/training/nfa/efop/] and in 2002 received the professional designation of Chief Fire Officer Designee through the Center for Public Safety Excellence [www.cfainet.org].
In 2008, Chief Fulmer was one of eight (8) Chief Officers to receive the Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship to attend Harvard University - John F. Kennedy School of Government's "Senior Executives in State and Local Government" Course in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [http://ksgexecprogram.harvard.edu/Programs/sl/overview.aspx].
The Harvard Fellowship program for fire service leaders is a joint effort between the USFA, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Fire Protection Publications/International Fire Service Training Association (FPP/IFSTA), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Each organization funds two senior official fellowships.
[http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/harvard/index.shtm]
Chief Fulmer is also a veteran of the Unites States Army – National Guard. He served from 1987 to 1993 with the Ohio & Illinois Army National Guard holding capacities as a radio teletype operator, transportation specialist, and infantryman.
Chief Fulmer is very active in professional organizations at the local, state, and federal levels. He is a past President of the Montgomery County Fire Chief’s Association. He previously served on the Oversight Committee for Ohio Task Force 1 [www.ohtf1.com], which is housed under the Miami Valley Fire Alliance [www.mvfea.com] and served as the Chairperson of the Advisory Board for State of Ohio’s Regional III Rescue Strike Team. Chief Fulmer currently active with the Central Ohio Fire Chief's Association, and the Licking County Fire Chiefs Association. He currently serves on the Licking County Local Emergency Planning Commission [http://www.lcounty.com/ema/], and serves in an advisory capacity for the Licking County Haz-Mat Team [www.lchmt.com]. In addition, he serves on the Fire Science Advisory Committee for the Central Ohio Technical College [www.cotc.edu] and is an adjunct faculty member in their degree program.
Chief Fulmer is actively involved with the International Association of Fire Chiefs [www.iafc.org], more specifically the Volunteer and Combination Officer’s Section [www.vcos.org]. He has worked on numerous committees for the Section and is one of the core instructors for their leadership course that is taught across the country. He also serves as a member of the National Fire Protection Association’s [www.nfpa.org] 1021 Professional Qualifications for Fire Officer’s.
Fulmer has published in several professional journals including Fire Engineering Magazine and First Responder Magazine. He currently serves on the editorial advisory board for Fire Chief Magazine. In conjunction with several Fire Chiefs from across the country, he co-authored a Fire Service Management book with Jones & Barlett Publishing Company.
In 2005 Chief Fulmer received the Antioch Shrine [www.antiochshrine.com] Firefighter of the Year Award. In April of 2009, he was recognize by the Dayton Business Journal and the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University, which recognizes 40 up and coming influential leaders in the Dayton metropolitan area who are under 40 years of age.
Chief Fulmer resides in Etna Township with his wife, Amber and his two children, Ian and Kendal.
