On December 21, 2018, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced Trisha L. Wolford as his appointment to the position of Fire Chief. Chief Wolford was officially sworn in as Chief of Department on the morning of January 28th, 2019. Chief Wolford is the 12th Chief in the 54-year history of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
This appointment is a homecoming for Chief Wolford, as she started her fire service career in Maryland with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in January of 2006. Chief Wolford operated as a firefighter/paramedic until her assignment to the Fire Marshal’s Office in 2011. She spent seven months training at the Anne Arundel County Police Academy and was sworn in as a law enforcement officer in May 2012. She was then assigned to the Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit where she promoted to Lieutenant in 2014. With her law enforcement and paramedic background, Chief Wolford was a part of the Anne Arundel County Tactical Medic program for four years, providing medical attention to the Anne Arundel County Police Quick Response Team.
In December 2015, she accepted the position of Deputy Fire Chief/Fire Marshal with the Bozeman Fire Department in Bozeman, Montana. The Bozeman Fire Department is comprised of three fire stations and 51 firefighters. She was responsible for administrative services, public education, code enforcement, fire investigation, fire inspections, company inspections, and city Fire Marshal duties.
In 2017, Chief Wolford joined the Spokane Fire Department as the Assistant Fire Chief overseeing full operations of the department. She directly supervised Deputy Chiefs managing Operations, Training, Support Services, Human Resources, and the Fire Marshal Division.
Chief Wolford received her Bachelor’s Degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV in 2000. She is completing her Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership from Western Governor’s University. She received her Paramedic certification from Anne Arundel Community College in 2009 and continues to be a Nationally Registered Paramedic. She is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. She is a recent graduate of the IAFC’s Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) and holds a CFO and CFM designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Chief Wolford is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Human Relations Committee, Chair of the Professional Development Committee and Director-at-Large of the EFO Section Committee.