Derron T. Hawkins is a twenty-eight-year veteran of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS).

He currently serves as the Assistant Fire Chief of Services with leadership and oversight of the Fleet Maintenance Division, Property Management Division, Compliance and Review, and the Risk Management Division.

Chief Hawkins currently most recently served as a Deputy Fire Chief within the Homeland Security and Special Operations Division.

As Deputy Fire Chief of Homeland Security, Chief Hawkins was responsible for coordinating all hazards planning efforts to prevent, protect, respond and recover from all major and /or catastrophic events.

Chief Hawkins performed day to day intergovernmental liaison activities with local, regional, federal and private partners throughout the National Capital Region that focus on threat, hazard identification & risk assessments, special events & mass casualty incident planning and the coordination of information collection, analyzing and dissemination through fusion centers.

In 1992, Chief Hawkins became a member of FEMS serving as a Firefighter- Emergency Medical Technician.

His experience and career path include promotions to the ranks of Sergeant - 1999, Lieutenant- 2003, Captain - 2007, Battalion Fire Chief -2011, and Deputy Fire Chief -2013.

He has also served in a number of operational assignments within the Operations, Fire Prevention and Special Operations Divisions.

During his tenure as a Captain, Chief Hawkins served as a subject matter expert for FEMS’s 2010 Promotional Examination Process.

In his capacity as a Battalion Fire Chief, he supervised the Special Operations Battalion and was a featured speaker at the International Association Fire Chiefs, Fire Rescue International Conferences in Denver, CO in 2012 and Chicago, IL in 2013.

Chief Hawkins has served on various Executive Steering Committees and Incident Management Teams for National Special Security Events such as the Incident Commander for 2017 Presidential Inauguration.

He served on the Investigative Board for the National Transportation Safety Board, WMATA L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station Accident 2016, Chairman of the Fire Life Safety Hazards Materials Sub-committee for National Special Security Events- State of the Union Addresses 2013-2020, 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, 2015 Visit of Pope Frances and 2014 Africa Leaders’ Summit.

He served as Fire & EMS Liaison to Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center 2013, and served as Training Program Manager of the Special Operations Division 2012.

Chief Hawkins earned his Master of Science in Homeland Security from the University of the District of Columbia. He also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science Administration and an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Radiography from the University of the District of Columbia.

Chief Hawkins has attended several leadership and incident command courses at the National Fire Academy and the University of Maryland, Fire & Rescue Institute.

He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Honor Society for Homeland Security. During his career, Chief Hawkins has received numerous awards and honors including a “Silver Medal for Valor”, a “Bronze Bar for Valor”, “1994 Fire Fighter of the Year” and “2018 Chief Officer of the Year”