A former top fire department official in both Prince George’s County in Maryland and the City of Alexandria in Virginia is the pick to be the next fire chief in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has nominated Corey Smedley to lead the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service after his last pick was abruptly withdrawn from consideration earlier this year.
Smedley would bring more than 33 years of fire service experience, which followed his tenure in the Army Reserve. He rose through the ranks of the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department to become deputy fire chief before moving to Alexandria’s fire department in 2015 as the deputy chief of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
He later assumed the role of fire chief in Alexandria, where he “prioritized community engagement building strong partnerships, and aligning community expectations with department priorities,” according to a Montgomery County news release.
Smedley’s nomination will be officially announced during a Thursday news conference at 11:30 a.m. at Fire State 32 in Rockville.
Elrich’s last nominee, MCFRS Division Chief Charles Bailey, had his name withdrawn from consideration in March, days after a report from the county’s inspector general found that an unidentified senior member of MCFRS engaged in misconduct in 2019 and 2021.
Elrich, Smedley and Montgomery County Interim Fire Chief Gary Cooper will all attend Thursday’s announcement.
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