Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe leads the 2,200-member DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DC F&EMS). Chief Ellerbe, a 27-year veteran of the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, briefly served as the city's Interim Fire Chief in 2000. He served as the Department's Director of Community Outreach Services prior to leaving in August 2009 to lead the Fire and EMS Department in Sarasota County, Fla.

Chief Ellerbe has a well-rounded career including managing the Operations Division, coordinating labor relations for the agency, managing the Fire Prevention Bureau, overseeing research and development and facilities management, as well as having served as Director of Training, to name a few.

Chief Ellerbe is attending Howard University, pursuing a PhD in Political Science after receiving a BS and MPA from the University of the District of Columbia. He is a graduate of the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Municipal Management where he received his certification in Public Management.
He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s and is a member of the Metro Chief’s Section. He resides in Southeast Washington, DC in Ward 7.

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (F&EMS) provides all-hazards protection to residents and visitors in the District of Columbia from 33 (thirty three) neighborhood fire stations that deploy 39 (thirty nine) EMS transport units, 33 engine companies, 16 (sixteen) ladder trucks, three (3) heavy-rescue squads, one (1) hazardous materials unit and one fire boat company. Fourteen (14) of these transport units and twenty (20) of these engine companies are staffed by paramedics providing advanced life support (ALS) care. Matching the Department’s commitment to emergency incident response is an aggressive prevention strategy for reducing the likelihood of emergency incidents.

Prevention programs include residential smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector installation, fire safety and juvenile fire offender education and intervention programs, public access CPR training, high school CPR training, automatic external defibrillator (AED) registration programs and neighborhood health and disease prevention screenings. Fire code enforcement, permitting and regulation activities are administered through the Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office.

DC F&EMS also provides protection for special events that are unique to the Nation’s Capital, such as major cultural and political activities, demonstrations, State of the Union addresses and the Presidential Inauguration. In addition, DC F&EMS routinely provides fire and medical protection for Presidential motorcades and helicopter landings. Combining these services into a customer centered mission driven organization is the responsibility of the Fire & EMS Chief. Fire Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe is the District of Columbia’s 26th (twenty-sixth) Fire & EMS Chief.