A Tribute to Chief Alan Brunacini

The Team at MDM were saddened to hear of the passing of Chief (Ret.) Alan Brunacini, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department. USA. He was a true International fire and rescue leader and both an author and authority on fire command, management and service.

Chief Brunacini started his career with the Phoenix Fire Department in 1958. Twenty years later in 1978, he was promoted to Fire Chief, a position he held until retirement in 2006. His academic achievements saw him graduate from the Oklahoma State University, Fire Protection Technology programme and he held both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Public Administration from the Arizona State University.

Chief Brunacini was a long-serving member of the advisory board for FDIC International and a recipient of the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award at FDIC International.

He held positions as Chair of the Board of the National Fire Protection Association with the accolade of having been the first Chair and developer for both the NFPA Fire Service Occupational Safety Committee and the NFPA Career Fire Service Organization and Deployment Committee.

Chief Brunacini was well known and respected globally as the author of his publications Fire Command, Command Safety, The Anatomy and Physiology of Leadership, Timeless Tactical Truths and the Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service. He was a popular speaker both in the US and overseas. His work on Fire Command has been adopted across many Services beyond the United States.

His popular Twitter feed had over eleven and a half thousand followers and his header describes him as representing Mrs Smith, who in turn represented all the people that may need assistance from the Fire Service. Chief Bruno, his Twitter name, often reminded readers of the need to ‘be nice’, a reflection of his style, personality and demeanour

Alan Brunacini was a true gentleman who made an extraordinary contribution to the Fire Service and has left an indelible mark upon the global Fire Profession, our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Photo used with the kind permission of the Brunacini Family