Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced Thursday his next nominee to lead the county's fire and rescue services. Corey Smedley would become the county's first Black fire chief if confirmed by the County Council.
“What’s more important for me is that they looked at my credentials and experience,” Smedley said.
His 33 years of experience includes serving as Prince George's county deputy chief and former fire chief for the City of Alexandria. Before that, he was deputy chief for Emergency Management and Homeland Security in Alexandria as well as a deputy chief in that city.
However, the initial spark was lit at home.
“My sister started in the fire service before me, Andrea Smith, and she was the first firefighter in my family,” Smedley said. “And I got to see my sister do great things and challenge herself, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s my big sister.’”
His sister was with the Prince George's County fire department, and now he’s blazing his own trail in Montgomery County amid the changing demographics.
“It is a benefit to have people who serve people look like the people they’re serving,” Elrich said. “Particularly young people should feel that they can be anything, and if you only see white people at the top of every chain in the universe, you could pretty quickly conclude that there’s no room for you in the system.”
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“It's important that we say qualifications are most important, but it's also important to say that diversity brings strength,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando. “It also brings lived experience.”
Smedley says he has no initial plans for major changes in the department. Coming from a neighboring county, he’s familiar with Montgomery County’s system and bridging any gaps between volunteer firefighters and career firefighters, strides he’s already made in Prince George's County.
“It's about valuing everyone,” Smedley said. “It’s about giving people a seat at the table and working through our problems so we can find the solutions so we can serve our community.”
The County Council is expected to hold confirmation hearings by the middle of June.
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