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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) Fire Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah has received the prestigious 2024 Career Fire Chief of the Year Award from the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association (FFCA). This award is the highest honor given to active fire chiefs in the state of Florida.
Selected by a body of his peers, Chief Jadallah was recognized for his outstanding actions and dedication to his profession, community and country. He serves as an example and inspiration for all other chief fire executives throughout Florida. The award was presented at the annual FFCA’s Executive Development Conference in Tampa in front of many fire chiefs from across the state.
Since being appointed MDFR Fire Chief in 2022, he has provided overall supervision and leadership to approximately 2,800 employees, both sworn and professional staff, while working closely with county leaders to develop public safety goals and objectives, and cultivating close working relationships with municipalities and other government agencies.
Fire Chief Jadallah has taken command during various major incidents and events throughout his tenure with MDFR. In June 2021, as the Assistant Fire Chief of Operations, Chief Jadallah oversaw one of the most significant complex incidents in Miami-Dade County’s history, the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside. He assumed oversight of all operations in the initial hours of the tragic collapse as part of MDFR’s Incident Management Team. During this mission, he transitioned to become the agency representative for the families of the missing where his role was to provide information to the families twice a day and keep them updated on the search and rescue efforts.
In March 2020, Chief Jadallah was tasked as the Incident Commander during the COVID-19 response, his responsibilities entailed from the selection of a team to the coordination and implementation of a response plan to be used by MDFR, various county departments, and state agencies.
“Fire Chief Jadallah has shown exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to the Miami-Dade County community,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
“This was especially evident during the rescue and response efforts following the Surfside Building Collapse.
“His commitment to ensuring that every aspect was carried out with the utmost care and professionalism was also demonstrated in the way he communicated with the families affected by this tragedy. His steadfast and proven commitment and compassion allowed him to build a lifelong bond and trust, reinforcing the dedication our first responders showed during this incident.” The mayor added.
“I am extremely proud of Chief Jadallah for his exemplary leadership and dedication to public safety,” said Public Safety Chief James Reyes. “His commitment to excellence serves as an inspiration to us all.”
Upon receiving this prestigious honor, Fire Chief Jadallah expressed his gratitude.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association.
This award is not just a personal achievement but a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone in MDFR,” Fire Chief Jadallah said. “I am privileged to serve as the fire chief for such an outstanding department, and this honor is shared with every member of our team who works tirelessly to keep our community safe.”
Fire Chief Jadallah currently leads the largest accredited full-service fire rescue department in the Southeast. Additionally, it is the first department in the country with a Class 1 ISO rating with a response territory covering over 1,000 square miles and a population of over one million.
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