Chief Otto Drozd III is the Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Rescue Department, is a 31-year veteran of the fire service. He began his career with the Hialeah Fire Department in 1986, becoming Fire Chief in 2001.
In 2009, Chief Drozd became Fire Chief of El Paso Fire Department and lead the El Paso Fire Department to become one of only five Metro Department’s to achieve international accreditation and an ISO Class One rating.
In 2017 Orange County Fire Rescue under Chief Drozd’s leadership was awarded the Congressional Fire Services Institute award for excellence in Fire-Based EMS and improved their ISO rating from a Class 4/8b to becoming one of the largest Departments in the Nation to receive a Class One ISO rating while maintaining International Accreditation.
Chief Drozd is a frequent presenter on a variety of fire service topics, and over the last year has presented at Fire Rescue International, Firehouse Expo, Fire Rescue East, Indian Fire Conference, and Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Conference and at various local events.
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree (Magna Cum Laude) - Florida Atlantic University
Master’s Degree - St. Thomas University
National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officers Program
Fire Service Fellowship - Harvard University (2010)
Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program
Affiliations:
Central Florida Fire Chief’s Association
Florida Fire Chief Association
Southeastern Fire Chief’s Association
International Association of Fire Chief’s
Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association
National Fire Protection Association
Leadership Positions:
President Metropolitan Fire Chief Association
President of the Florida Fire Chief’s Association
Florida’s Domestic Security Oversite Council
Safe Haven for Newborns Board of Directors
NFPA 3000 Technical Committee
NFPA 1616 Technical Committee
IAFC Unmanned Aerial System Task Force
IAFC EMS Reimbursement Task Force
Commissioner, Commission on Fire Accreditation International