Howard J. Hill
Howard J. Hill began his career in 1972, served in every rank, and retired in 2007 as assistant chief of the FDNY. His early career was spent in firehouses in midtown Manhattan. He then moved to Brownsville, Brooklyn, and then to the South Bronx and Harlem where he was the 6th Division Commander.
As chief, he created a safety officers’ course that became mandated training for all chief officers. Hill was a sector commander at the WTC site for the first 30 days after 9/11. While serving as chief of fire prevention, he was a managing committee member, overseeing the complete revision of the New York City Fire Code and Building Code, and chairperson for the fire protection committee during the creation of the 2008 NYC Building Code.
Chief Hill has a B.A. from New York University and completed the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Fire Officers Management Program. He has lectured nationally on risk management for the fire service and how to determine the stability of buildings weakened by fire damage. He has taught a building construction and life safety systems course at City University of New York’s John Jay College and is the project manager for the annual FDNY symposiums, which provide training for fire department personnel from across the country and around the world. Chief Hill can be contacted at hwrdhill@aol.com.
