Peter Van Dorpe worked with the Chicago Fire Department for 33 years, retiring in 2013 as the Director of Training. He then served as the Chief of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District through April 1, 2019. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University. He has made presentations on modern fire ground challenges at FDIC, Firehouse Expo and World, Fire Rescue International and the National Fire Academy. In 2012 he delivered the General Session Keynote at FDIC and addressed the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the “Flammability Standards and Flame Retardant Chemicals”.

In addition to his work as a Field Instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, he has been a lead instructor for the Chicago Fire Department's Fire Officer School, and has taught building construction for the fire service through the City Colleges of Chicago. He is a member of the Advisory Board for Underwriters Laboratories’ Firefighter Safety Research Institute, and President of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI).

He has participated as a Subject Matter Expert for UL’s research on Firefighter Safety, NIST’s, “Evaluating Firefighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions”, the IAFF “Firefighter Safety and Deployment Study” in high rise buildings, and several NIOSH Line of Duty Death investigations.

Chief Van Dorpe is the 2016 recipient of the Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year award.