Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department, Lexipol’s Senior Fire Advisor, has been honored with the 2021 Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award from the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI). This award recognizes leaders with exemplary impact on the national level in firefighter advocacy and fire prevention, mitigation and response. The award is co-sponsored by Motorola Solutions with CFSI.
Goldfeder has “made firefighter safety and survival a central tenet of his career,” explained his nominator, Lexipol co-founder Gordon Graham. Chief Goldfeder has “educated generations of fire service students,” “embraced prevention alongside operations,” and “advocates for progress within the fire and emergency service.” Throughout his career, Chief Goldfeder has demonstrated effective, proactive and innovative leadership, affecting change across many facets of the fire service.
“It’s a true honor to receive this award and I am beyond thankful to be recognized,” Chief Goldfeder says. “To be considered in the same class of leaders as Mason Lankford and other fire service recipients is a privilege and a joy. My passion for fire service progress and firefighter safety remains unchanged, and I will continue to advocate for whatever makes firefighters and the community members we protect safer and more effective.”
Goldfeder began his career as a firefighter in 1973 and has held chief officer positions since 1982, serving as a chief for departments in Ohio, Virginia and Florida. He is a 1992 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. Goldfeder currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Fire Chiefs, September 11th Families Association, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
Chief Goldfeder is a frequent instructor at North American fire service training conferences such as FDIC International, Fire-Rescue International, Firehouse Expo, Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and has instructed at the FDNY Fire Officers Management Institute (FOMI). For over a decade, he has provided strategic consulting for Lexipol’s fire products and services.
“Lexipol is proud to work with such an experienced, distinguished and respected fire service leader,” Lexipol CEO Chuck Corbin said. “Chief Goldfeder’s expertise and insight is invaluable to our team.”
“My passion for fire service progress and firefighter safety remains unchanged, and I will continue to advocate for whatever makes firefighters and the community members we protect safer and more effective.”
Goldfeder’s impact on firefighter safety and survival is undeniable and apparent in his contributions to a multitude of national fire service media publications. He serves on the editorial advisory board of FireRescue1 and Fire Engineering and his column “Close Calls” appears in Firehouse magazine. Alongside Gordon Graham, Goldfeder founded and hosts the website FireFighterCloseCalls.com, a free, independent site focused solely on firefighter safety and survival. Goldfeder has also authored three books with over 150 contributors, Pass It On: What We Know…What We Want You to Know, Pass It On: The 2nd Alarm and Pass It On 3: Making Good Progress, with all royalties donated to the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, the Chief Ray Downey Scholarship Fund and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. He also emphasizes the sharing of information and lessons learned from firefighter line-of-duty deaths in his email newsletter, “The Secret List.”
The Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award is only one of numerous awards Chief Goldfeder has received. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Loveland City Council and Loveland-Symmes Fire Department and has twice been recognized with an IAFC Exemplary Service Award, as well as a Loveland-Symmes Fire Department Award of Excellence. He has also received the Fire Engineering-FDIC Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award, Firefighter Cancer Support Network Dallas Jones Memorial Award, IFSTA Everett E. Hudiburg Memorial Award for Firefighter Training Excellence, the Nassau County (NY) Frances X. Pendl Fire Service Humanitarian Award, IAFC Presidential Award, Dana Hannon Fire Training Award and ISFSI Fire Instructor of the Year Award. The Annual Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organization Safety Award, named in his honor, was created through the IAFC and is sponsored by VFIS.
The Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award was virtually presented to Chief Goldfeder on April 29, 2021 and will be formally presented in Washington D.C. by the Congressional Fire Services Institute in October of this year.
