Fire Chief - Ret. / Director At Large
IAFC
CIncinnati, Ohio, United States
Chief Kevin D. Hardwick, OFE / OFC
Fire Chief - ret.
Director At Large IAFC-EVMS
Starting in the fire service in January 1976 with the New Burlington (Ohio) Fire Department as an Explorer, Volunteer Firefighter, and Career Firefighter. Remained with the deparment until 1988. As a Captain at New Burlington I was certified as a fire fighter, EMT, fire instructor, fire investigator, and fire safety inspector.
After being hired at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 1982 as a fire fighter I became certified in Kentucky as an EMT, firefighter, hazmat tech, fire instructor, and finally a paramedic. While at the airport I held the positions of firefighter, fire safety officer, fire inspector and Lieutenant. I had responsibility for environmental issues, fire inspection, plan review, fleet management, mass casualty planning, specifying and recommending purchases. Additionally joined up as a member of the Boone County (Kentucky) Fire Investigation Team and became the coordinator of the team in 1997. I then retired from the department in May 2002.
In 2000 I started volunteering for the Hamilton County (Ohio) Fairgrounds fire department. This is a department that is responsible for fire, rescue and emergency services for all events on the fairgrounds. I remained the Fire Chief at the fairgrounds until early 2014.
In 2006, I became a member of the Glendale (Ohio) Fire department where I was appointed Captain. Then in 2008 was appointed as Assistant Fire Chief and finally named Fire Chief for the Village in February 2013. I was sworn into that position in March 2013. I am a designated Ohio Fire Executive through the program that is sponsored by the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association. In 2016 was designated as Ohio Fire Chief through Ohio Fire Chiefs Association. I retired from the Glendale Fire Department in April 2022.
Retired from the Executive Board of the Hamilton County (Ohio) Fire Chiefs Association as Vice-President. The Hamilton County Mass Casualty Response Plan is a product of my work along with many other special projects county wide. . Hamilton County EMA and their planning for county disasters has been a part of what my involvement as well.
In 2020, I was elected as a Director At Large for the International Fire Chiefs Association for the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section from the Great Lakes Division. Then in 2024 I was selected for the role of Director at Large for the Emergency Vehicle Management Section (EVMS).
Since retiring, I have now been hired as an Emergency Management Specialist for TriHealth Healthcare System in southwest Ohio. Being able to bring over 48 years of experience to the private health care sector has been a welcome change. Emergency management is similar to what we have done in the fire service for years.
In 2016 I started the Ohio FACE Team, firefighter cancer resource group and now the Tri-State FACE Team which covers parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. After losing another close friend and coworker on my fire department, i knew that I had to do something about the cancer epidemic facing all firefighters. Our mission is to be a place for firefighters battling cancer as well as their families and to get the support that they need. Peer and family support are a part of this process. We are building bridges with cancer support groups, medical facilities, doctors, lawyers and whoever we can to get as much support and information to the firefighters and their families.
Currently I am working with training a service dog for the benefit of fire, EMS, dispatch and police and building with local groups. While working on this project I found that there is little information to assist fire departments in building a successful canine program that is focused on emotional support as well as PTSD. With that in mind, I am undertaking training and developing my Therapy dog "Moira" for use in fire departments, and partnering with Thin Line Service Dogs.
Last year, I was charged with puuting together the "Amber Ribbon Report - Best Practices for Fire Department Canines" which was a part of the VCOS. This comprehensive document was assembled with the collaboration of people from all across the US and Canada to provide guidance for departments looking to build or expand a Fire Department Therapy Dog Team.
ELEC-309: PFAS and F3 Transition Update
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM