John Tippett joined the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in April 2018. He is a 44-year veteran of the fire service. Tippett began his career as a volunteer in Montgomery County, MD, in 1974. He was hired as a career firefighter in Montgomery County in 1976 and spent the next 33 years with various departments and the county. Tippett was also an adjunct instructor, member (and later task force leader) of Maryland Task Force 1 (FEMA urban search and rescue team) and an integral part of the department’s safety office. He retired from Montgomery County in 2009 as the safety battalion chief to take a position with the Charleston, SC, Fire Department as its first deputy chief of operations. Tippett spent the next 7½ years as the operations deputy, assisting with the rebuilding of the department after the Sofa Super Store Fire. From 2017 to 2018, he served as interim fire chief. Tippett earned his chief fire officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence in 2012 and was recertified in 2015. Tippett is a Fellow with the Institution of Fire Engineers. He currently serves as an at-large board member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s Safety, Health and Survival Section and is a certified health and safety officer through the Fire Department Safety Officers’ Association. Tippett was the International Society of Fire Service Instructors George D. Post Instructor of the Year in 2006.