Gary Krichbaum | Baltimore, MD

"Once somebody knows that you care about them...that goes so much further than any policy or procedure you could ever come up with.”

Asst. Chief (Ret.) Gary Krichbaum

Gary Krichbaum is the Program Manager for the First Responder Center for Excellence and the Deputy Incident Commander for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend.

Never one to do things halfheartedly, he approaches each new opportunity with an “all-in” mentality and has held numerous positions such as Assistant Fire Chief for Prince Georges County Fire Department, Area Operations Manager for the Maryland Surge Task Force, and Maryland Director for the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Why did you initially join the fire service?

Assistant Chief Krichbaum says he was indecisive about life’s direction following the completion of high school. Believing in divine intervention, he followed an internal voice urging him to join a local volunteer rescue squad. Little did he know that suggestion would change the course of his life and he is extremely thankful he heeded that call. Since that day, he has increased his involvement with several organizations like the FRCE (First Responder Center for Excellence), the NFFF (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation), and the IAFC (International Association of Fire Chiefs), the Maryland Fire Chiefs Association, and many others.

"Everything happens for a reason, and this is what I was meant to do," declares Krichbaum.

How did you get involved with FRCE?

In 2019, Krichbaum was reappointed by the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad (WVRS) to continue serving on the WVRS Board of Directors.

Around 2006, Krichbaum became involved with the NFFF through his participation in the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Honor Guard and with the assistance of his old fire chief, Ron Siarnicki. Recalling his first NFFF Memorial Weekend event, Gary recalls that "As soon as I put my foot on that campus, I knew I had to be a part of it.”

Krichbaum put his “all-in” attitude to good use, performing several duties at the NFFF, like organizing fundraisers and stair climbs and assisting with the coordination of the Memorial Weekend where he currently serves as the Deputy Incident Commander.

After retiring from the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, he felt another calling to become involved with the FRCE after the NFFF created them to focus more on health and wellness training. Since the organization focuses on all first responders, he realized he could broaden his reach, using his expertise to train and learn from EMS and law enforcement individuals.

“I've been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to have two incredible jobs.”

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Gary is a family man who enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and daughters. He enjoys seeing them mature into young adults and being a part of their lives.

Even outside his regular job, he still enjoys participating in activities related to the fire service. He sits on the board of directors for two different volunteer firefighter services while also being involved with the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

What sort of message would you like to deliver to firefighters and rookies?

Krichbaum says that, as a young officer, he thought he knew what it meant to be a leader but found that he still had a lot to learn. It took a few more years and experience to understand "the difference between managing and leading."

“It's about the people and developing relationships,” Krichbaum emphasizes, “and showing others that you value them as people first, and employees of the department second.

As long as he emphasized the humanity of individuals and saw them as people like himself, Chief Krichbaum knew he could achieve tremendous success while helping others succeed.

"Once somebody knows that you care about them...that goes so much further than any policy or procedure you could ever come up with."

Looking down the road, what changes do you see coming to the fire service in the next five to ten years?

Krichbaum says it’s a great time to be in the fire service, primarily due to the work of several researchers in the field.

"I think what you'll see in the next five years is a safer and healthier department.”

Gary praises the fire research community, who are the "unsung heroes" of the fire service. These individuals bring scientific evidence to the table, which helps firefighters make better decisions when it comes to tactics and protection.

"We've never had this degree of scientific knowledge in the history of the fire service," states Krichbaum.

Do you have a story you’d like to cap this article off with?

On his first day in the academy, Krichbaum decided he would retire 25 years to the day after he was hired. Later, after spending time at the training academy, he modified that goal to a retirement date 25 years after becoming the Chief of Training. Through hard work and determination, Gary achieved that goal. He continued another year before deciding to move forward to the next chapter in life.

Although officially retired from the fire service, he is still not fully retired and shows no signs of slowing down. Goal setting holds great importance to him, and he gleans a great deal of satisfaction from the practice.

“We got to have a reason that we're doing things,” Krichbaum says. “Have a goal and figure out a direction to head. That went such a long way for me.”