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A MESSAGE FROM THE FIRE CHIEF

Chief Perez stands at the 2018 award and swearing in ceremony.     FIRE CHIEF WILLIAM PEREZ

Welcome to the University of Connecticut Fire Department website! It is my pleasure to represent all of the dedicated men and women who proudly serve and protect the University of Connecticut. We constantly strive to maintain our services to ensure a high quality of life by providing a safe community for all of our students, staff, employees and visitors.

At UConn, the Fire Department is a key part of the University Safety Division in providing community safety. We accept and embrace this challenge with vigor and commitment. As the world evolves and our University grows and matures, our mission has also evolved, to one that is not simply confined to “traditional” fire services. Therefore, our mission statement reflects a commensurate need for our fire department to think and operate in a more encompassing manner.

It is a privilege to lead a progressive, customer-driven fire department that continuously works hard to meet the fire and rescue needs of its community. We do this through the dedicated efforts of our personnel assigned to the Administration Division, Fire Marshal and Building Officials Division and our Operations Division.

Once again, welcome to our website. Enjoy, and please contact us if you have any questions or have suggestions for improvement of our services to you.

 Fire Chief William Perez 

    Doctor William Perez serves as Fire Chief/Associate Director of University Safety for the University of Connecticut Fire Department which currently serves 40,000 students, staff, faculty, visitors and neighbors. Chief Perez oversees three divisions: Fire Operations, Fire Administration and the Fire Marshal Unit.  With this, he is responsible for providing the education to the University in fire, life safety, and disaster preparedness, as well as enforcing University Safety codes. Just prior to starting at UConn, Chief Perez retired from the East Hartford Fire Department after a 25-year decorated career. He retired as the Assistant Fire Chief and was responsible for all aspects of operations, including: fire suppression, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), special operations, training, and had overseen the Office of Emergency Management for 13 years. Raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he started his University Safety career in 1987 as an EMT, and became a licensed Paramedic in 1990. He is a decorated US Navy veteran, having served as a Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman during Operation Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Capital Community College in Hartford since 1995, where he teaches Paramedicine. He is also an instructor at the National Fire Academy.

    Chief Perez holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Anna Maria College and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Hartford. During his career, he has earned a multitude of awards and recognitions from the US Navy and the East Hartford Fire Department. He holds the following professional credentials: Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Executive Fire Officer (EFO), Member Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE), and Certified Emergency Manager (CEM).