2026 Fire Chief of the Year awards honour US fire service leaders
Lewis Tyler
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The 2026 Fire Chief of the Year awards recognise Gail Schmidt and Amy Ramon for outstanding leadership, service and commitment to firefighter safety
Pierce Manufacturing and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have named the recipients of the 2026 Fire Chief of the Year awards, recognising two US fire service leaders for their contributions to their departments, communities and the wider industry.
Volunteer Fire Chief Gail Schmidt of Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department in Rapid City, South Dakota, and Career Fire Chief Amy Ramon of Cy-Fair Fire Department in Houston, Texas, received the honours during Fire Rescue International (FRI) in Kansas City, Missouri.
Since 1996, the IAFC has annually recognised one volunteer and one career fire chief for outstanding service. Nominations are assessed against criteria including leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, public service and contributions to the fire service.
Gail Schmidt named Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year
Schmidt has more than three decades of experience in the volunteer fire service and has served as chief of Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department since 2014.
Her leadership has focused on operational readiness, firefighter health and safety, professional development and regional collaboration across Pennington County and the Black Hills region.
One of Schmidt’s key achievements was addressing a critical lack of reliable water supply within the department’s rural response district.
Under her leadership, a multi-year initiative delivered a district-owned water system featuring a 60,000-gallon storage system and a hydrant capable of delivering 600 gallons per minute at the department’s main station.
The project improved emergency response capabilities, firefighter safety and suppression effectiveness while creating new regional training opportunities.
Schmidt also led a regional grant initiative that secured more than $915,000, representing more than $1 million in equipment value, to replace obsolete radios and pagers and improve interoperability among emergency response agencies across Pennington County.
Her commitment to service has extended to firefighter physical and behavioural health, mental health support for volunteer firefighters and regional training programmes.
Schmidt has also served in specialised search and rescue roles. During the extensive 2019 search for a missing nine-year-old child, she committed 65 operational days and travelled more than 750 miles on foot in support of the operation.
Amy Ramon receives Career Fire Chief of the Year award
Ramon has more than 30 years of fire service experience and has served as fire chief of Cy-Fair Fire Department since 2014.
During her tenure, the department has undergone significant transformation, evolving from a primarily volunteer organisation with only four of its 13 stations staffed with 24-hour fire suppression coverage into one of the largest combination fire departments in Texas and the US.
Today, Cy-Fair serves nearly 600,000 residents while continuing to expand its staffing, infrastructure and emergency response capabilities to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community.
Ramon has maintained a strong focus on the people behind the department’s growth. She championed a comprehensive mental health programme providing personnel with counselling and proactive behavioural health resources, achieving more than 54% utilisation.
She has also prioritised comprehensive cancer screening initiatives to support early detection and address the elevated occupational cancer risks faced by firefighters.
Her people-focused leadership has helped build a culture of accountability, professional development, operational excellence and support for firefighters, paramedics, staff and their families.
Beyond Cy-Fair, Ramon has held leadership roles in regional and statewide fire service organisations, supported the development of future fire service leaders and advocated for firefighter health, safety and sustainable emergency services.
“Chief Schmidt and Chief Ramon are two exceptional leaders who have dedicated their careers to strengthening the fire service and protecting the people they serve,” said Marty Bass, president of Pierce Manufacturing.
“Their accomplishments reflect the very best of fire service leadership which include vision, integrity, resilience and a deep commitment to their teams and communities.”
The 2026 Fire Chief of the Year awards recognise the chiefs’ individual achievements while highlighting their wider contributions to strengthening firefighter safety, operational effectiveness and leadership across the US fire service.