William Austin, Chief Emergency Management, BA, MA
William Austin has served as the Fire Chief of West Hartford, CT for over a decade, as well as Fire Chief of Tampa, FL. Chief Austin has a Masters Degree in Security Studies (Defense and Homeland Security) from the United States Naval Postgraduate School and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University. He is a designated Chief Fire Officer (CFO), a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy, and a 1987 graduate of the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University.
Chief Austin currently serves as the Chairman of the Capitol Region Emergency Planning Committee (CREPC) in Hartford, CT., is a member of the Connecticut Emergency Management and Homeland Security Coordinating Council, is the current chairperson for the Connecticut State Citizen Corps Council, and serves as President of the Capitol Region Fire Chiefs’ Association. He has accumulated years of experience in all hazards from floods and hurricanes, to fire and terrorism. Chief Austin is certified as a Homeland Security Expert CHS–III (2007) by the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute and is a certified Member of The Institute of Fire Engineers (2007). Mr. Austin serves as a curriculum expert for several colleges in the area of Homeland Security and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Connecticut, Trinity College, and University of Hartford. He is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Board for Goodwin College in East Hartford, Connecticut.