Matthew Tobia

Chief
Fire Chief, Harrisonburg Fire Department

Matthew Tobia is the Fire Chief with the City of Harrisonburg (VA) Fire Department and is a 35-year student of emergency services. He has served as a member of the Editorial Board for Fire-Rescue Magazine and has authored over 120 articles. He is also the former Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Safety, Health, and Survival (SHS) Section, holds the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) credential, and is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers.

Prior to Harrisonburg, Chief Tobia spent 23 years with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Maryland and four years with Loudon County Fire Rescue in Virginia. He began volunteering in south central Pennsylvania in 1987 and is active with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Mid Atlantic Burn Camp for Children.

Chief Tobia holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program at the National Fire Academy.