Chief John M. Buckman III served 35 years as fire chief for the German Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department and 15 years as director of the fire and public safety academy for the Indiana State Fire Marshal Office. He is the director of government and regional outreach for IamResponding.com. John is a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and a co-founder of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. In 1996, Fire Chief Magazine named him Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. John is an accomplished photographer, a co-author of Lessons Learned from Fire-Rescue Leaders, and the editor of the Chief Officers Desk Reference. He is also the owner of Wildfire Productions and a member of the Fire Chief/FireRescue1 Editorial Advisory Board.