FCEM&HS Executive Committee Selects Agency Director

    Posted: 10/13/2016
    (COLUMBUS, OH) The Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEM&HS) Executive Committee officially appointed Fire Chief Jeff Young, Upper Arlington (Retired) to serve as the agency’s director during a special meeting this afternoon.       

    “Chief Young brings extensive experience in public safety including preparing for and responding to a wide range of local and national disasters,” said William F. Vedra, Jr., Chairman of the FCEM&HS Executive Committee.  “His history of steady leadership was recognized by the Executive Committee and we are confident in his ability to seek innovative ways to move the Agency forward and help Franklin County become better prepared for any disaster or emergency.”  

    Fire Chief Jeff Young began his career with the Upper Arlington Fire Division in 1988, working his way up through the division's ranks and gaining extensive experience in all facets of emergency fire and EMS response, fire prevention and community safety education programs, and more. In 1998 he was promoted to Lieutenant, then to Captain in 2002. In 2010 he assumed the role of Fire Prevention Officer, and shortly thereafter was selected to serve as Fire Chief. He will officially retire from the Division on October 28, 2016.

    During the course of his fire service career, Chief Young served as a certified Paramedic, Rescue and Hazmat Technician. He was a member of the Ohio Task Force 1 from 1996-2002, an affiliate task force for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that responds to national level rescue events.  Through this work, Chief Young was deployed to the World Trade Center site in New York following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He is a founding member of the Central Ohio Strike Team, which provides collapse rescue within the State of Ohio. 

    Chief Young served as Upper Arlington’s representative on the FCEM&HS Executive Committee, serving as Chair from March of 2015 through April 2016. He was also a staff liaison between the Upper Arlington Board of Health and Franklin County Public Health. Through these activities and more, Chief Young established positive working relationships with representatives of numerous Central Ohio agencies and gained a keen understanding of what it takes to successfully provide emergency notification and response coordination and support to agencies within the County.

    “I am honored to have the opportunity to expand my role and help build on the successes already achieved by the agency to ensure our community remains prepared and more resilient in the event of a disaster,” said Jeff Young, FCEM&HS Director.  “I look forward to maximizing the capabilities of mass notification through the ALERT Franklin County system, exploring ways to make relevant technology accessible and working with local first responders, government officials and our emergency partners to help all 42 jurisdictions plan and prepare for impactful events as they become imminent.”
     
    Chief Young will begin his new position on Tuesday, November 1st.  He and his wife, Christine, have two grown children and reside in Upper Arlington.  

    Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, a local government agency, coordinates county-wide emergency/disaster planning, education, warning, response and recovery.