Dr. Hezedean A. Smith
Fire Chief/Paramedic
Dr. Hezedean A. Smith is a Fire Chief/Paramedic and military veteran with over 38 years of service in the emergency services profession was born in Jamaica. He is the Chief Fire Officer of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the British West Indies. As scholar, practitioner, leader, and researcher, he has held several executive positions in three fire-based EMS departments in the United States and currently serves as a Dissertation Chair at Capitol Technology University, adjunct faculty at Purdue Global University. Upon retiring from the Orlando Fire Department (Florida) in 2020, an an Assistant Chief responsible for EMS Operations, he was appointed as Fire Chief in Virginia, and again later in Florida.
With a Doctor of Management and a master’s degree in organizational management, Dr. Smith holds credentials a Chief Fire Officer, Chief EMS Officer, Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, Certified Public Manager, Project Management Certificates, and registered Paramedic both nationally and in the Caribbean. His expertise spans healthcare simulation-based training, Fire and EMS system design and operations, strategic planning, medical and social science research, along with crisis leadership. Across the Caribbean, he has led numerous initiatives advancing EMS development, research, disaster preparedness, and workforce development.
He is the President of the National EMS Management Association in the US, Chair of the Caribbean Emergency Services Registry responsible for credentialing EMS providers in the Caribbean, a research mentor with the Prehospital Care Research Forum (PCRF) at UCLA, and a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Paramedicine. He continues to promote public service, inclusive leadership, research and healthcare education through his role as Chief Executive Officer of Global Emergency Services Consulting Group, LLC (GESCG).