Fire Chief Steve Mitchell of the City of Owensboro Fire Department has successfully completed the process that awards him the professional designation of “Chief Fire Officer” (CFO). The Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) officially conferred the designation on August 26, 2014. Chief Mitchell is one of only 993 CFO designees worldwide.
The CPC awards the CFO designation only after an individual successfully meets all of the organization’s stringent criteria. The process includes an assessment of the education, experience, professional development, technical competencies, contributions to the profession, and community involvement. In addition, designees must submit and follow a future professional development plan.
A Statement from the CPC included, “Chief Mitchell has a rich knowledge of the emergency services profession and has far surpassed critical core competencies for personnel serving in senior fire officer positions.” Chief Mitchell’s Fire Service career has spanned 32 years that has included serving in Command/Management Staff positions for 19 years. Serving as a municipal Fire Chief for eleven (11) years, he has served the last six (6) years as the Fire Chief for the City of Owensboro.
Chief Mitchell stated, “It is an honor to be recognized by a credentialing body with the respect level of the CPC.” Mitchell added, “Although this is recognition of a career’s worth of work, this should also be recognition of the professionalism and high quality of service that has been developed at the Owensboro Fire Department. Owensboro Fire Department firefighters not only work hard daily to serve our community, but routinely strive for excellence and continuous improvement in our services.”
