Leading With A Clear Purpose: 2025 LeadershipLegacy Executive Panelist - Matthew Tobia
We've been truly blessed to get to know Chief Tobia over the last several years. Watching him embrace this community and lead his team with humility has been an absolute privilege. In fact, his approach to leadership is exactly why we're working with the Harrisonburg Professional Firefighters Foundation to launch their "100 Club" initiative through The 2025 LeadershipLegacy Experience!
Matthew Tobia is the Fire Chief with the City of Harrisonburg (VA) Fire Department and is a 37-year student of emergency services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy. Matt has served as a member of the Editorial Board for Fire-Rescue Magazine and has authored over 120 articles. He is the former chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefā€™s Safety, Health and Survival Section, holds the Chief Fire Officer credential and is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers. Chief Tobia is currently serving on three national task forces commissioned by the United States Fire Administrator addressing Mental Health, Cancer, and Cardiovascular issues within the firefighting community. He also served as the IAFC representative to the NACOSH Task Force charged with creating a new safety standard for firefighters in the United States. Prior to Harrisonburg, Chief Tobia spent 23 years with the Anne Arundel County (MD) Fire Department and four years with Loudoun County (VA) Fire Rescue. Matt began volunteering in south central Pennsylvania in 1987 and is active with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Mid Atlantic Burn Camp for Children.
In this session, we'll talk with Chief Tobia about the clear purpose that's drive him throughout his career and the purpose the Harrisonburg Fire Department exists to achieve.
To learn more about Chief Tobia and how he helps the Harrisonburg Fire Department pursue their clear purpose, check out https://www.harrisonburgva.gov/fire
