Gary Ludwig currently serves as the Fire Chief of the ISO Class 1 Champaign (Illinois) Fire Department and serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs during the 2019-20 term. He has 42 years of fire, rescue, and EMS experience. 

Chief Ludwig started his career with the City of St. Louis at age 18, just two months out of high school, rising through the ranks and retiring as the Chief Paramedic of the St. Louis Fire Department after 25 years of service. He has also served 10 years as Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis Fire, managing EMS and the Emergency Management Office.

He has a master’s degree in business and management, and has been a licensed paramedic for over 40 years. He has written over 500 articles for professional fire and EMS publications and is the author of three books. He has also been invited to speak at over 250 professional EMS or fire conferences or seminars. He has won numerous awards including the James O. Page EMS Leadership Award from JEMS Magazine in 2014, the IAFC EMS Section’s James O Page Achievement Award in 2018.