ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Roanoke County announced the appointment of Stephen Simon as their new Fire & Rescue Chief Tuesday morning.
Simon will assume his new position on Wednesday, July 29.
Recommended Videos
"We are fortunate to be able to appoint a Chief that comes from our own ranks," said Roanoke County Administrator, Thomas Gates, in a statement, released on Tuesday. "Steve has professionally grown and developed throughout his career with the County, and is now in a position to lead this organization. I am proud of our new Chief today but equally proud of the organization that produced him."
Simon currently serves as Deputy Chief of Administration for Roanoke County Fire & Rescue. He began his service with Roanoke County in 1994 as a Paramedic/Firefighter for the department. He was promoted up through the ranks from Fire Lieutenant, EMS Captain, Battalion Chief, and to his most recent position as Deputy Chief (formerly titled Division Chief).
For the past 13 years, officials say he has overseen administration of the department which includes budget, billing, technical rescue, mutual aid with neighboring jurisdictions, and the training division.
Officials said Simon has been instrumental in the development of the current EMS System, Station Alerting System, Computer-Aided Dispatch System, the County-wide Access Control System, and the regional hiring process.
Prior to joining the County, Simon was employed by Roanoke City as a paramedic and began his career in Prince William County at the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department in 1986. Simon has served as adjunct faculty for Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Hampton University. He is an advocate of reducing youth injuries through his work with the American Academy of Pediatrics where he assists in developing Fire-EMS training programs.
Officials say Simon is an active member of the community with extensive involvement in youth sports as a coach, board member of nonprofit soccer organizations, and plays soccer regularly in the Roanoke Adult League. Simon resides in Roanoke County with his wife Jeannine and children Kobey and Grace.