06/13/2026
Congratulations to WFD Fire Chief Zach Hottel who was named Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs at their conference in Savannah Georgia last week.
Chief Hottel was recognized for his efforts to recruit and retain volunteers, to build stronger community relations, secure grant funding, improve department culture, and to collect/utilize department data to drive decision making processes among other practices that help modern organizations like ours thrive.
The Southern Eastern Association is a Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs that covers ten states and represents thousands of fire departments and fire chiefs.
Congratulations Chief!
Shenandoah County Dept of Fire and Rescue
Virginia Department of Fire Programs
Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, Inc.
Town of Woodstock, Virginia
Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs