Chief Gary Ludwig

Chief Gary Ludwig is the immediate past president of the IAFC and currently serves as the Fire Chief of the Champaign (IL) Fire Dept. He is a well-know author and lecturer, who has forty years of fire, rescue and EMS experience. His most recent book is entitled, "Fully-Involved Leadership." Additionally, he is a devoted proponent of the firefighter health and wellness.

Chief Ludwig started his career with the City of St. Louis at the age of 18, just two months out of high school, rising through the ranks and retiring as the Chief Paramedic of the St. Louis Fire Department, after 25 years of service. He also served 10 years as the Deputy Fire Chief for the Memphis Fire Dept., managing their EMS system.

Chief Ludwig previously served on the EMS Executive Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs for 22 years, with six years as the Chairperson. He is also a member of the IAFF EMS Standing Committee and has written monthly columns for FIREHOUSE Magazine for over 20 years.

The Chief holds a Master's Degree in Business and Management and has been a licensed paramedic for over 38 years. He has written over 500 articles for professional publications, such as FIREHOUSE Magazine, Fire-Rescue, Fire Engineering, JEMS and EMS World Magazine. He has also been invited to speak at over 250 professional EMS or Fire conferences or seminars, including, Fire-Rescue International, FDIC, FIREHOUSE Expo, EMS Today and EMS Expo.

He is the co-author of several books and is the author of "Blood, Sweat, Tears and Prayers - Firefighting & EMS in Some of the Toughest Cities in America," and "Welcome to the Butterbeck School of Mismanagement: The Business School that Creates Terrible Leaders."

In 2014, he was awarded the James O. Page EMS Leadership award.

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