STILLWATER, Okla. – William Peterson was presented with the 2024 John W. Hoglund Award during the 91st IFSTA Validation Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 13, 2024. The John W. Hoglund Award is presented by the IFSTA Executive Board to an individual who has exhibited outstanding leadership and service to the board and the organization during their tenure.
Peterson has served IFSTA as a committee delegate, validation committee chair, and Executive Board member. Most notably, he chaired the IFSTA committees that validated the 6th and 7th editions of Essentials of Fire Fighting, IFSTA’s flagship manual.
In addition to his work with IFSTA, William has many noticeable accomplishments to his career credits. He became fire chief in Plano, Texas, when it was a relatively small city and grew the department accordingly with the rapid growth of the city. They were a leader in innovation for fire departments across North America and one of the few departments in those days to achieve the ISO Level 1 designation.
He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's FEMA Region 6 in Denton, Texas. William was also a founding member of the USA Branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFireE) and was elected to the IFireE International Council (Board of Directors) of this worldwide organization in 1999. He was elected to the post of International President in 2004, the first person from the U.S. to serve in that role. He has also played a major role in the National Fire Protection Association Professional Qualifications standard development process including serving as a technical committee chair and Chair of the Professional Qualifications Technical Correlating Committee.
“William’s outstanding leadership abilities have made a positive impact on countless fire and governmental agencies across North America and beyond,” said Mike Wieder, IFSTA Executive Director. “His influence can be felt in all areas of the fire service. Very few people have made a bigger contribution to the fire and emergency response profession, as it exists today, than William.”
WRITTEN BY: Mike Wieder | IFSTA Executive Director and FPP Associate Director
The International Fire Service Training Association is an organization of fire service personnel who are dedicated to upgrading firefighting techniques and safety through training. Since 1934, IFSTA has been the worldwide leader of the fire service in developing fire and emergency responder training materials. IFSTA produces training manuals, eBooks, curriculum, test prep, workbooks, skill sheets, interactive courses, instructor resources and more. For IFSTA-FPP media inquiries, contact the IFSTA Marketing Department at marketing@ifsta.org or call 800-654-4055.
