Edward C. Smith serves as the Assistant Chief of Professional Development and is a 28-year veteran of the DC Fire and EMS Department.

In 2020, Chief Smith was promoted to the Professional Development Bureau which includes the Human Resources Division which includes the Payroll and Compliance Offices, Professional Standards Division, Training Division, and the Medical Services Division.

Chief Smith was appointed as a firefighter in August of 1992, and was assigned to Engine Company 10, a busy firefighting company located in the Trinidad neighborhood in North East.

He was promoted to Wagon Driver in 1997, achieved the rank of Sergeant in 1999, and earned the rank of Lieutenant in 2002 and Captain a year later. Chief Smith spent the largest portion of his career as a Captain in the field, serving thirteen years, including Rescue Squad 1 in Chinatown, which he commanded as Captain for over nine years.

Chief Smith also served three terms as the President of the DC Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 36, and has extensive labor experience.

Smith attained the rank of Battalion Chief in September of 2016 and served in that position as the Special Operations Battalion which responds to technical rescue and hazardous materials incidents city wide.

In August of 2019 Chief Smith was promoted as the Deputy Fire Chief of our Training Division in Southwest.

Chief Smith has served since 2009 as the Active Fire Fighter Trustee on the Police, Fire, and Teachers Pension Board (DCRB).