Office of the Chief

 Chief's Biography
Chief Holt joined the Urbandale Fire Department in February 1998. He came to our department from Eufaula, Alabama where he served with the Eufaula Fire Department. Chief Holt has held numerous positions within the fire department throughout his 25 plus years of service. In Eufaula, he joined the department as an EMT and became a certified firefighter. Chief Holt was drawn to both the fire and EMS portions of the job and he became a Nationally Registered Paramedic in 1985. His love for fire and EMS allowed him to quickly move through a variety of positions, serving as a Lieutenant, Captain and serving the last five years as the department's Training Officer. 

Chief Holt is a Nationally Registered Paramedic, holds a MA degree in Leadership, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Fire Science, a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Medical Services, and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He has attend numerous fire service training opportunities throughout the U.S. and he is an active fire service instructor conducting classes for the fire service and other related industries including speaking at state and regional fire schools and state conferences. Chief Holt currently serves as an adjunct instructor for fire science program at the Des Moines Area Community College as well as serving as an instructor for the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau.

 

Chief Holt is a member of several fire service organizations including the National Fire Protection Association where he serves on the Technical Committee on Professional Qualifications for Incident Command Personnel.  Other organizations include the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Iowa Association of Professional Fire Chiefs, the Polk County Fire Chief’s Association (Past President), and local boards and management committees.