Chief W. Keith Brower, Jr. retired from the Loudoun County, VA Combined Fire and Rescue Service (LC-CFRS) in 2018, following 45 years of career and volunteer service. He was appointed as the County Fire Chief in 2010. During Chief Brower’s career, Loudoun County experienced unparalleled growth. As a Washington, D.C. area suburb, Loudoun County became one of the fastest growing jurisdictions in the Country. In 2005, the fire and rescue system embarked upon a consolidation Service Plan to establish the future needs for the rapidly changing nature of the volunteer system. This study recommended a number of standards of cover, which have recently been updated (2020) to further enhance the system operations.
Chief Brower was instrumental in the design and management of the Oliver R. Dube Fire Training Academy, overseeing the re-write and re-adoption of the Loudoun County Fire Prevention Code, serving at the Pentagon on 9/11, and becoming the first Countywide “System” Chief following the consolidation of the County Fire and Rescue Department and the 15 Volunteer Fire and EMS companies into a single operational entity in 2014. Chief Brower possesses numerous professional certifications. In 2018 he was recognized as a “Chief Fire Officer” by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and was honored as the Governor of Virginia’s “Career Fire Chief of the Year.” In 2019, Chief Brower was given the “Distinguished Alumni” award by Bridgewater College. Chief Brower presently serves as a Special Projects Consultant for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). His primary role is to represent the NFFF on the Vision 20/20 Steering Committee.
