ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County Fire & Rescue has named Travis Griffith as the department’s new fire chief. Griffith currently serves as Deputy Chief of Operations.
He began his service with Roanoke County Fire & Rescue in 2002 as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician for the department. He was promoted up through the ranks becoming a Lieutenant in 2005, Captain in 2008, Battalion Chief in 2012, and to his most recent position in 2015.
“As long as they’ll keep me. As long as we’re having fun and doing what we need to do. I have no plans on leaving anytime soon,” added Griffith.
During his tenure, Griffith has coordinated and implemented over $4.9 million in federal funding for the department for equipment and staffing. Griffith collaborated with the County’s other public safety agencies to develop a leadership academy to provide valuable training and professional growth for personnel. He has also led the department’s COVID response to ensure the safety of personnel, as well as equip all County employees with supplies to ensure a safe workplace.
“The pandemic created so many challenges in just trying to adapt to new ways of doing things as far as keeping personnel safe,” said Griffith. “When you’re battling a virus you can’t see, you can’t smell it, you don’t know it’s there…it does make it challenging.”
Griffith follows Fire & Rescue Chief Steve Simon who retired in February 2021 after serving 27 years with the department.
“First and foremost, we’ve got to provide for the men and women of our department,” said Griffith when questioning his initial priorities. “At the end of the day, everything we do revolves around providing good customer service and doing that at a high level in an efficient, effective, professional manner. Making sure our personnel stay safe and they have the tools to do their job.”
Griffith holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s prestigious Executive Fire Officer Program. Griffith resides in Roanoke County with his wife Ellen and daughters Carly and Claire.
Griffith will assume his new position on March 8.