Orlando Mayor Dyer Announces Fire Department Management Appointments

December 6, 2011 – ORLANDO, FL – Yesterday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the retirement of Deputy Chief Earl Youman after 25 years of service at the City of Orlando. Mayor Dyer has appointed Frank Cornier, a 20-year Orlando Fire Department (OFD) fire veteran to succeed Youman as Deputy Chief.

“Deputy Chief Earl Youman has a long and outstanding history with our fire department,” said Mayor Dyer. “He has provided strong leadership for almost two years as Deputy Chief and will be greatly missed by everyone who has had the pleasure of working with him.”

Newly promoted Deputy Chief Cornier will now be responsible for the administrative bureau of OFD which includes planning and resource management, training and public relations. Chief Cornier is OFD’s first Hispanic to service in the capacity of Deputy Chief.

During his 20-year tenure with OFD, Cornier has served on every special teams discipline, as well as two years as a training officer and Special Operations Lieutenant. Most recently, Cornier served as Assistant Chief in the Planning and Resource Division for three years and was instrumental in the construction of two LEED-certified fire stations and working with the Fire Chief’s office to achieve an ISO rating of 1 – the top 1/10th of 1 percent of all fire departments in the nation.

“I am confident that under Chief Cornier’s strong leadership ability the Orlando Fire Department will continue to develop innovative approaches to meet the growing and challenging needs of our City,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Having spent the majority of his career with OFD, he understands the high level of service expected by Orlando’s residents.”

Cornier joins the rank of Deputy Chief alongside Gregory Hoggatt and John McCormack. The Deputy Chiefs work directly under the leadership of OFD Chief John Miller who has overseen the day-to-day operations of the department since February 2010.

Today, the Mayor also announced the appointment of Roderick “Rod” Williams to Assistant Chief. During Williams’ 16 years of service with OFD, he has worked in many capacities including the Field Operations Bureau directly serving Orlando citizens and in the Training Division with responsibilities over recruitment, hiring and the Field Training Officer Program.

The appointment of Deputy Chief Cornier and Assistant Chief Williams will go into effect on January 8, 2012.

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