City of Champaign Announces Fire Chief Appointment — Gary Ludwig to Begin November 17
Champaign — City Manager Dorothy David announced this morning that Gary Ludwig, currently Managing Director of The Ludwig Group, LLC and former Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department, has been appointed Fire Chief for the City of Champaign effective November 17, 2014.
“Gary’s wealth of experience will be an asset to the Champaign Fire Department,” says City Manager Dorothy David. “He is an educator, a proven leader, and a nationally known expert in fire and emergency medical services. I was most impressed by his expression of compassion for others and commitment to public service. He is the right person to lead our Fire Department at this time,” she added.
Chief Ludwig has 37 years of city and county emergency medical and fire service experience. He has served as the Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department, Director of Emergency Services for Jefferson County, Missouri, and spent 25 years working for the City of St. Louis, Missouri Fire Department moving up through various positions including Chief Paramedic. He has demonstrated fiscal responsibility for multi-million departmental budgets, overseen emergency medical operations for a 1,900-employee fire department responding to an average of 145,000 calls per year, and has provided incident command leadership for multiple large scale events and emergencies. In addition, Chief Ludwig currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). He is also a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine and he regularly writes for a number of professional publications. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kensington University and a Master’s degree in Business and Management from National-Lewis University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Commenting on his selection, Chief Ludwig said, “I am honored and humbled to have been selected by Ms. David. The City of Champaign is a wonderful and vibrant community that my wife and I look forward to being a part of. I have been equally impressed with the firefighters and employees of the Champaign Fire Department. Their high level of professionalism and dedication is unmatched.”
Chief Ludwig was selected from a field of over 65 candidates considered during a national search. His starting salary will be $135,000 per year.