Toni Washington

Chief
President, Women in Fire

Toni Washington is President of Women in Fire and Fire Chief/Emergency Manager of City of Decatur Fire Rescue. She is also Chair for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation and Commission Chair of Professional Credentialing at the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE).

Chief Washington joined the department in 2009 as the first African American and first female to serve as chief. She was the fourth African American female fire chief in the nation. Her work involves planning and managing the operations of the fire department in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency management, and emergency medical services (EMS). She had worked diligently to educate the public on fire safety. She began her public safety career at the State Fire Marshal's Office before moving to a Metro Atlanta fire department, where she eventually became Deputy Fire Chief.

Before beginning her tenure in the public safety field, Chief Washington attended Savannah State University where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Management. After mapping her career path, she expanded her education and received a Master of Science in Managerial Leadership from National Louis University. She has also attended the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute at Dillard University, received training at the National Fire Academy, and has received her Fire Officer designation from the CPSE.