Chief Robert Griffin of Edneyville Fire and Rescue was recognized Wednesday as Fire Chief of the Year by the Western North Carolina Association of Firefighters. The association, which encompasses 33 counties including the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area, held its quarterly business meeting in Cleveland County Wednesday, when the award was announced. Griffin began his career a junior firefighter with Edneyville in 1987 but was a fixture at the department years before that. Griffin is a career firefighter and even traveled to Iraq as a contract firefighter for one year. He assumed the position of deputy chief of Edneyville in 2013 before being promoted to chief in 2014. Griffin is an industry leader in his profession and is also a specialized firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician instructor.