I'm the Fire Chief - Now What Do I Do?

Tim Sendelbach is a 35-year student and educator of the fire and emergency services currently serving as the fire chief for Loveland Fire Rescue Authority. Prior to joining Loveland, Tim served as assistant fire chief with the Kingman Fire Department. Tim previously served as vice president / chief of public safety operations for Bobit Business Media, the parent company of iFIRE International. Tim also served as the editor-in-chief and conference director for Firehouse overseeing the content and editorial direction of Firehouse Magazine, firehouse.com, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, and related products. Tim is a past president of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) and has served as an assistant fire chief with the North Las Vegas, Nev., Fire Department, as the chief of training for Savannah, Ga., Fire & Emergency Services, and as assistant fire chief for Missouri City, Texas, Fire & Rescue Services. Tim has earned a master's degree in leadership from Bellevue University, bachelor's degrees in fire administration and arson, and an associate degree in emergency medical care from Eastern Kentucky University.

In 2007, the city hired Judy Smith Thill as the first full-time fire chief to lead the 50-year-old IGH Fire Department. With more than 33 years of fire service experience, Chief Thill is responsible for managing the department's approximately 50 paid-on-call (POC) and 17 full-time staff. She started out in 1989 as a POC firefighter with the Eagan FD, while also working as the Safety Manager for Northwest Airlines. Hired full-time by the Maple Grove FD in 1996, she served as Deputy Chief for 11 years, while continuing with Eagan as a POC firefighter, before coming to IGH.



Chief Thill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Safety Management and has completed all coursework toward a master’s degree in business administration. She received full scholarships to attend two national executive leader programs: Harvard University’s Senior Executive Leaders in State and Local Government and Naval Postgraduate School’s Executive Leaders at the Center for Defense and Homeland Security.



Chief Judy Thill has been active at both the national and state levels, serving on various boards and committees, participating in webinars and writing articles for numerous publications. Recognized by her peers for her leadership and contributions to the fire service, in 2017, Chief Thill received both the International Association of Fire Chiefs John M. Buckman Leadership Award, and the MN State Fire Chiefs Association Fire Officer of the Year.

PJ Duncan serves as the fire chief of the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department (PVVFD). He has served this department since he was 18 years old, and the tradition set forth by our founding members is still an important part of our daily operations. Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department serves the communities iwht 8 stations, and approximately 50 volunteers. The members are always striving to provide the best service possible and have an aggressive plan to recruit and maintain membership of an additional 100 new volunteers over the next three years. Our fire district comprises 280 square miles with a population of over 31,000. We achieve our motto of Working, Serving, Learning, Growing….TOGETHER each and every day as we fulfill our mission. Everything we do is motivated by the belief that the citizens deserve a quality of care and service second to none. Because of that, our personnel train hard and often. We are also known for our proactive approach to fire prevention. We are proud that the Town of Pleasant View and Cheatham County have adopted fire sprinkler ordinances that ensure the growth that is coming to our area is protected.