Roger E. Smith became the Acting Fire Chief in March 2002 and was appointed the City of Anaheim’s eighth full-time Fire Chief on October 1, 2002. He has over 30 years of experience in the fire service, beginning as a firefighter in 1978. Chief Smith’s career progressed in Anaheim to paramedic, engineer, captain, battalion chief, division chief of operations and acting fire chief.

Chief Smith is charged with managing, planning, directing and overseeing a $57 million FY 07/08 budget that includes 290 personnel performing within Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services, Training, Hazardous Materials Response, Administration, Life Safety, CUPA, Citywide Emergency Management, and the Metro Cities Fire Communications Center.

The City participates in the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) grant programs.

Anaheim is the second largest city in Orange County, covering fifty square miles with a resident and visitor population of over 500,000 people daily. The city is a resort destination and is the home of the Disneyland Theme Park, Disney’s California Adventure, Downtown Disney, Anaheim Convention Center, the Honda Center, Anaheim Stadium, the Anaheim Angels and the Anaheim Ducks.

Chief Smith is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He is on the California Fire Chiefs Association Board of Directors and is a past president of the Orange County Fire Chiefs Association. He is currently a member of the Orange County Operational Area Executive Board, the Orange County Five-Member State Homeland Security Approval Body, and the Thirteen-Member Orange County Homeland Security Advisory Committee. He participated in the Steering Committee to oversee the development of the first Orange County Strategic Plan for Terrorism Preparedness. Chief Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach.

Chief Smith has been married to his wife Debbie for 31 years and has one daughter, Ashley. Debbie was a 34-year Flight Attendant for a major airline and Ashley is an honors graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Economics, Business and English. She was also a member of the Division 1 NCAA National Champion Cal Women’s Crew Team.