■ RHODA MAE KERR was announced as the first female chief in the 106-year history of the Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire Rescue Department (FLFRD). She will take over the department on July 1, 2018, after leaving her current position as chief of the Austin (TX) Fire Department. Kerr will replace Chief Robert Hoecherl, who is retiring. She was also the former chief of the Little Rock (AR) Fire Department as well as the first woman elected president and chair of the board of directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. A fourth-generation firefighter, Kerr is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.
■ BARRY FINLEY was named as the new chief of the Youngstown (OH) Fire Department (YFD). Finley is a 24-year member of the YFD. He is also a U.S. Army veteran; an emergency medical technician; a registered nurse in Ohio and Pennsylvania; and an instructor at Choffin, teaching area high school juniors and seniors how to be firefighters and paramedics. Finley says that he hopes to enhance training and fire safety education within the department. He replaces former YFD Chief John O’Neill.
