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By FireRescue1 Staff
CHICAGO – Seattle Fire Department Assistant Chief Christopher Lombard was presented the Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award for his leadership and contributions to public safety broadband communications.
The recognition took place at last month’s 5x5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit, which is hosted by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division.
According to the FirstNet Authority, the award was created in honor of Chief Harlin McEwen who dedicated his career to improving communications for first responders. The award is given to an individual who demonstrates the spirit of service, commitment and dedication to advancing communications for public safety.
“I am so humbled and honored to receive this award,” Chief Lombard said. “As a first responder and a chief officer, one of my primary goals is to see everyone get home safely every day. I have always felt that effective communications is a force-multiplier in that effort. I feel so blessed to have played a small part in bringing responders the communications tools and capabilities they need to be safer as they protect their communities.”
Within the Seattle Fire Department, Chief Lombard has held many roles, including overseeing Seattle’s fire/EMS 911 center and later standing up the city’s new primary 911 center, the Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department, which fields more than 900,000 calls every year. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Chief of Resource Management.
Lombard has served on the FirstNet Authority’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) since its creation, and currently represents the IAFC. Chief Lombard became chair of the PSAC in 2021. Additionally, he serves as the vice chair of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s public safety advisory group, known as SAFECOM; chair of the IAFC Communications Committee; and a member of the NFPA’s 1225 committee, which helps develop standards for emergency response communications.