Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker announced today (4.25.18) that Dennis Wolf will be the City’s first fire chief. The announcement was made at the monthly Lakeland Chamber of Commerce lluncheon at Stonebridge Golf Club.
Chief Wolf is a consultant to cities across the country through the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service Municipal Technical Advisory Service and is the former chief of the Germantown Fire Department and emergency management director for that municipality.
“Safety is vital to our community and we are proud to bring a national leader like Chief Dennis Wolf to Lakeland,” said Mayor Bunker. “We committed to the people of Lakeland to control the quality, expense and growth of the fire services for our community and hiring such a high-caliber individual as our fire chief is the first major step to making that a reality for our residents.”
Chief Wolf is expected to begin work as Lakeland’s fire chief before the end of the year at a starting salary of $82,000.
He is a charter graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, and he is past president of the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association and the Mid-South Fire Chiefs Association. He is accredited as a Chief Fire Officer and Chief EMS Officer by the Commission on Professional Credentialing through the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
He is also accredited as a Member by the Institution of Fire Engineers. He earned a bachelor of professional studies degree in fire administration from the University of Memphis and a master’s in fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Lakeland’s work to bring fire services under its community service umbrella is part of the Lakeland 2020 Vision strategic plan that also focuses on economic development, education, residential growth and infrastructure and parks and recreation.
