Long Beach Fire Chief Mike DuRee has been appointed President of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association (LAAFCA), city officials announced Thursday.
DuRee’s one-year term, which began on January 1, puts him in charge of the LAAFCA, which works on regional training, grants administration, legislative advocacy and firefighter safety and survival with 31 fire departments within Los Angeles County.
“I want to congratulate Chief DuRee for being selected by his peers for this important leadership role,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This appointment highlights his commitment to providing excellent fire service to the community.”
DuRee said he plans to focus on developing grant strategies for the entire Los Angeles region for training and equipment in the event of a large-scale man-made or natural disaster.
“We are very fortunate to have an extremely solid group of Fire Chiefs in the region, and I am very proud to have been selected by my peers to serve as President of LAAFCA,” said Chief DuRee. “The Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association is on the forefront of issues facing the Fire Service and constantly strives to find new, creative and collaborative ways to enhance the way we deliver service to our communities, while at the same time, ensuring that the Los Angeles region has the best equipped and best trained Firefighters in the nation.”