My name is Paul Sullivan, Jr. and I am running for the Office of Second Vice President of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA) in 2022.

As the past Fire Chief of the Middle River Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company in Baltimore County, I am an enthusiastic and proven leader within my department and community. I started my career as a volunteer in Frederick County and currently remain very active in emergency services as a Chief Officer and Paramedic in Baltimore County. As a qualified candidate, I bring nearly 35 years of service to the MSFA. I feel that my experience, education, and my proven leadership, along with my integrity, high standards and passion for the Maryland fire and emergency services will allow me to continue to advance the mission of the MSFA.

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Over the past decade, I have had the opportunity and pleasure to serve on a number of MSFA committees and continue to do so today. For the past three years, I served successfully as the President of the Maryland Fire Chiefs Association and today, currently serve as the First Vice President of the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Active and daily operational experience by the MSFA leadership is critical in communicating and recruiting our younger and future leadership.

​This is a pivotal moment in fire service history in which we must HONOR TRADITION AND EMBRACE CHANGE AND INNOVATION. Our roles have evolved tremendously from simply “putting water on the fire.” While we must never lose focus on that, we must acknowledge varying perspectives in emergency service delivery.  It is critical to manage expectations and resources within a world of ever-increasing service demands.

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We must protect the health and wellness of our combined emergency services providers, provide the best training and information possible for them to do their jobs safely, provide our leadership and management personnel with training to be successful in their positions, encourage and improve upon diversity, equity and inclusion and most importantly, address the challenges associated with recruitment and retention. 

Today, the majority of Maryland fire and emergency services members are under the age of 40. Unfortunately, the majority makeup of the MSFA leadership consists of individuals well above that age. If the MSFA is to be sustainable, we must get our younger members engaged in the MSFA now.

How do we honor tradition and yet still embrace change and innovation so that we maintain the safety and effectiveness of our volunteer workforce? 

As your Second Vice President, I intend to work closely with the myriad of resources available through our various partners to make us more relevant than ever. Our MSFA members, leadership, committees and multitude of partners provide a wealth of knowledge. This allows us to build a strong strategic platform to lead, educate, serve, and provide solutions to challenges. 

I bring a much needed national, state and local perspectives to emergency response issues. As a result, I have been instrumental in identifying solutions that result in facilitating positive change.

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I look forward to your support for my election to the Office of Second Vice President in June 2022 so that we may work together to strengthen the future of this great organization and the volunteer fire and emergency service in Maryland.