Smedley says he is eager for role as fire chief

by Judith Hruz

Editor

On Day 3 as the new head of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Chief Corey Smedley said he is eager to take on the responsibilities of the department.

He said he already had spent two and a half months meeting and listening to people in the county as he awaited his interview and subsequent confirmation by the County Council.

The council unanimously approved him as fire chief on July 9 and Smedley took the oath of office on July 15.

One of the characteristics that drew him to Montgomery County was County Executive Marc Elrich’s assurance that the county has “the will and the resources” to sustain or improve the fire-rescue department as needed.

“That doesn’t always exist that way everywhere,” he said during Elrich’s weekly media briefing on July 17, adding, “That was really attractive for me.”

“When you bring those combinations together, you can bring positive change for everybody,” he said.

Smedley said he is familiar with Montgomery County’s hybrid system of paid and volunteer firefighters and rescuers.

He said when he began his own service as a firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician began in Hyattsville, in Prince George’s County, and worked closely with the volunteers at that station and as his career advanced in Prince George’s County.

When his career took him to Alexandria, which did not have that type of system, he said he worked to invigorate volunteers, knowing what role they play in the success of fire-rescue service.

Elrich, who nominated Smedley for the position of fire chief, called him “a leader with vision” who “has shown a willingness to be responsive to change.”

Smedley, former City of Alexandria fire chief and former Prince George’s County deputy fire chief, is the first fire chief who was not promoted from within the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) and the county’s first African-American fire chief.

“Corey Smedley has the ideal combination of skills to lead Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) forward and keep our community safe,” Elrich said when he made his nomination in May. “I believe that we have found someone who brings the right mix of experience and passion to continue the level of excellence this department has exhibited for nearly two decades.”

Smedley began his public safety career more than 33 years ago, serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. He later joined the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, where he moved up the ranks to the position of deputy fire chief. In 2015, he joined the Alexandria Fire Department as the deputy chief of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Smedley later became the assistant chief and ultimately assumed the role of Alexandria’s Fire/EMS chief.

Smedley said it is critical to “adjust ourselves to take care of what is needed in the community.”

He added, “We need to keep the things that are worth keeping and we need to adjust the things that we need to better serve our community.”