Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Trisha Wolford Named Vice Chair of FirstNet Authority Board

Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford has been named Vice Chair of the First Responder Network Authority Board, expanding her national leadership role in public safety.

The FirstNet Authority announced the appointment, highlighting Chief Wolford’s more than 20 years of experience and leadership in public safety, including her service as President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Chief Wolford is the 12th Fire Chief in the history of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, one of the nation’s largest combination fire departments. The department operates 31 fire stations across the county’s approximately 580 square miles and serves more than 600,000 residents. Chief Wolford oversees more than 1,000 career firefighters, approximately 500 operational volunteer firefighters, 950 administrative volunteers, 34 fire communications operators and 58 civilian support staff.

Her career with the department began on January 26, 2006, when she was hired as an entry level firefighter. Chief Wolford served as a firefighter and paramedic before being assigned to the Fire Marshal’s Office in 2011. After completing seven months of training at the Anne Arundel County Police Academy, she was sworn in as a law enforcement officer in May 2012 and assigned to the Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit. She was promoted to lieutenant in 2014 and also served for four years as a member of the Anne Arundel County Tactical Medic SWAT program.

Chief Wolford left the department in December 2015 to become Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal with the Bozeman Fire Department in Montana. In 2017, she joined the Spokane Fire Department in Washington as Assistant Fire Chief, overseeing the department’s operations.

She returned to Anne Arundel County on January 28, 2019, to become Fire Chief of the department where her career began.

Chief Wolford earned a master’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Western Governors University in 2020 and an MBA in 2022. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Shepherd University and received her paramedic certification from Anne Arundel Community College in 2009.

Her professional training includes graduation from the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Fire Service Executive Development Institute. She also holds Chief Fire Officer and Chief Fire Marshal designations from the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Chief Wolford has held several national and state leadership roles in addition to her work in Anne Arundel County. She has served as President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and has held leadership responsibilities with the IAFC’s Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. In 2025, she was appointed to Maryland’s State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council.

Chief Wolford was appointed to the FirstNet Authority Board in 2024 and now moves into the role of Vice Chair.

The FirstNet Authority is an independent federal entity within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Congress established the organization in 2012 following communications challenges highlighted by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Its mission includes overseeing the development and operation of a nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety and designed to provide first responders with reliable communications capabilities.

As Vice Chair, Chief Wolford will take on an expanded leadership role on the board responsible for helping guide FirstNet’s continued development and its work to meet the communications needs of first responders nationwide.