Randy Brugeman

Ret. Fire Chief, Former President Int Ass Fire Chiefs, CEO of The Leadership Crucible

Fire Chief Randy R. Bruegman began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Nebraska. He was hired as a firefighter in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he served in a variety of positions including engineer, inspector, lieutenant, captain, and battalion chief. He has served as the fire chief for 27 years in the City of Campbell, California; the Village of Hoffman Estates, Illinois; Clackamas County Fire District No. 1 (Oregon); the City of Fresno, California; and the City of Anaheim, California, retiring in December 2018 after serving over 40 years in local government. 

Chief Bruegman is a noted author and lecturer on such topics as leadership and managing change in the fire service and a contributing author of fire service literature including Fire Attack: The Strategy and Tactics of Initial Company Response; Making a Difference: The Fire Officer Role; Surviving Haz-Mat, Haz-Mat for First Responders; The Volunteer Firefighter: A Breed Apart; and The Chief Fire Officer’s Desk Reference. He has authored five previous books: Exceeding Customer Expectations, The Chief Officer: A Symbol Is a Promise, Fire Administration I, Fire Administration II, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Administration, and Advanced Fire and Emergency Services Administration. He has authored over 50 articles and contributed to several other texts and national reports. 

Chief Bruegman served as president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs in 2002–2003. the president of the board of directors of the Center for Public Safety Excellence from 2004–2017 and was selected as the Career Fire Chief of the Year in 2009. He served as a principal member of the NFPA 1710 Technical Committee, a standard on the organization and deployment of resources in career fire departments for several years. Chief Bruegman is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, an Internationally Designated Chief Fire Officer, and a certified Fire Chief through the California State Fire Marshall’s office. He was inducted into the Hall of Legends, Leaders, and Legacies, Class of 2022, on behalf of the National Fire Heritage Center and into the California Fire Chiefs Association Hall of Fame in 2024. 

He has an associate degree in fire science, a bachelor’s degree in business, and a master’s degree in management. Chief Bruegman is continuing to write and lecture, and currently serves as a Board of Director for Quartz Insurance, a multi-state health insurance provider, a member of a commercial service advisory board for Fotokite a technology company based in Sweden, with locations in the U.S.