Detroit Fire Department hosts second Fire Leadership Roundtable

The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) hosted its second Fire Leadership Roundtable today at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. Building upon the success of the inaugural event in 2024, today’s roundtable continued to foster collaboration among fire service leaders, emergency response professionals, and public safety officials from across Metro Detroit and Windsor.

Participants from West Bloomfield Township to Wyandotte and municipalities in between engaged in in-depth discussions on fire service innovation, emergency management, and interagency collaboration. The event featured a tour of Detroit's state-of-the-art Emergency Dispatch Center and Real-Time Crime Center, providing attendees with firsthand insight into the city's integrated approach to emergency response. Participants observed how cutting-edge technology and data-driven strategies enhance decision-making and coordination between fire, police, and emergency medical services.

"The Fire Leadership Roundtable is an invaluable opportunity to strengthen partnerships and explore new ways to enhance emergency response in Detroit," said Detroit Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms. "By bringing together experienced leaders and public safety professionals, we continue to advance our mission of protecting lives and property and learn from one another’s lived experiences.”

Key discussion topics included emerging fire safety technologies and best practices in social media and media relations. Leaders also discussed collaboration as it relates to training and emergency response.

“Today’s roundtable was a great way to foster communication, learn new ideas and different ways of doing things,” said Warren Fire Chief Orinn Ferguson. “These discussions will help us to move forward in decision making around spending for training and other new initiatives.”

“I think it’s a great thing to be able to work with Detroit. We border Detroit. The option to train together is essential,” said Redford Township Fire Chief Scott Demoff. “When that emergency happens, you don’t want that to be the first time you meet. We all train in fire and EMS, but we need to understand expectations and how we’ll go about solving the problem before it arises.”

The opportunities for collaboration don’t end there. Leaders also discussed how to best work together to ensure our region is collaborative in their efforts to secure grant funding from both state and federal agencies. “It’s great to be here in Detroit with colleagues from across Southeast Michigan to discuss some of the challenges specifically related to funding at the local, state and federal levels, and how we can all really come together to achieve our shared outcomes of keeping our communities safe,” said West Bloomfield Township Fire Chief Greg Flynn.

The Detroit Fire Department remains committed to enhancing public safety and emergency response efforts through ongoing leadership initiatives and community engagement. The success of this year's roundtable underscores the department's dedication to continuous improvement and innovation in fire service leadership.