Roanoke County Administrator Thomas Gates today announced the appointment of Stephen G. Simon as Fire & Rescue Chief. Simon will assume his new position July 29th.
“We are fortunate to be able to appoint a Chief that comes from our own ranks,” said Gates.
Steve has professionally grown and developed throughout his career with the County, and is now in a position to lead this organization. I am proud of our new Chief today but equally proud of the organization that produced him.”
Simon currently serves as Deputy Chief of Administration for Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.
“I am honored to serve as Roanoke County’s next Fire & Rescue Chief,” said Simon. “The career and volunteer personnel who comprise the department are the best in providing high quality services with compassion to our citizens. I look forward to the opportunity to continue that level of service to our citizens and visitors of Roanoke County.”
Simon began his service with Roanoke County in 1994 as a Paramedic/Firefighter for the department. He was promoted up through the ranks from Fire Lieutenant, EMS Captain, Battalion Chief, and to his most recent position as Deputy Chief (formerly titled Division Chief).For the past 13 years, he has overseen administration of the department which includes budget, billing, technical rescue, mutual aid with neighboring jurisdictions, and the training division.
Simon has been instrumental in the development of the current EMS System, Station Alerting System, Computer-Aided Dispatch System, the County-wide Access Control System, and the regional hiring process.
Prior to joining the County, Simon was employed by Roanoke City as a paramedic and began his career in Prince William County at the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department in 1986. Simon has served as adjunct faculty for Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Hampton University. He is an advocate of reducing youth injuries through his work with the American Academy of Pediatrics where he assists in developing Fire-EMS training programs. Simon serves on the Executive Board of the Western Virginia EMS Council and is a member of the International Association of Firefighters and International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Simon holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Fire Service Administration from the University of Maryland, jointly awarded by the United States National Fire Academy, and holds a Master’s Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s prestigious Executive Fire Officer program. Simon is an active member of the community with extensive involvement in youth sports as a coach, board member of nonprofit soccer organizations, and plays soccer regularly in the Roanoke Adult League. Simon resides in Roanoke County with his wife Jeannine and children Kobey and Grace.
The Roanoke County Fire & Rescue department is a combination system, utilizing career and volunteer personnel to provide fire and rescue services. The department responds from 13 stations, employs 160 full-time career personnel, and has nearly 200 active volunteers.
