Glenn Corbett Receives Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Glenn Corbett was presented the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award during this morning’s general session at FDIC. Corbett is an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and has been a technical editor of Fire Engineering magazine for 20 years.

“This Lifetime Achievement Award is overdue,” said Fire Engineering Editor-in-Chief Bobby Halton. “He is a keeper of our traditions and history. He has been a mentor … a teacher, and a role model.” Halton presented the award alongside Eileen Brennan Cress, Tom Brennan’s daughter. The award is named for Tom Brennan, who was Fire Engineering’s editor-in-chief for eight years and a technical editor for 17 years. Brennan had 20 years of experience with the FDNY, and five years as chief with the Waterbury (Conn.) Fire Department.

Some of Corbett’s accomplishments:
–    He is a former assistant chief of the Waldwick (N.J.) Fire Department, where he has volunteered since 1986.
–    He testified before the 9/11 Commission and recently served on the Federal Advisory Committee of the National Construction Safety Team that investigated the World Trade Center disaster and pushed for an investigation of the 9/11 WTC disaster and the creation of the National Construction Safety Team Act.
–    He is the chief technical advisor to the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, and also served as the president of the New Jersey Society of Fire Service Instructors.
–    He has dedicated a large part of his career to code enforcement. He was a fire protection consultant for the Austin Fire Department and was the administrator of engineering services for the San Antonio Fire Department. He is a member of the New Jersey State Fire Code Council.
–    He is a co-author of Francis L. Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service, 4th Edition, and the editor of Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II.
–    He is author of The Great Paterson Fire of 1902 and co-author of Historic Fires of New York City.
–    He is on the board of two affiliated research centers, the Academy of Critical Incident Analysis and the Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies.
–    He has been a member of the Fire Engineering advisory board since 1990 and a member of the FDIC advisory board since 1997.
–    Corbett has a master’s degree in fire protection engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is pursuing a PhD in public administration from Rutgers University.

During the award presentation, Halton read the words of some other fire service leaders who praised Corbett’s dedication to the fire service.

Chief (ret.) Jack Murphy of the Leonia (N.J.) Fire Department and 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient said that Corbett is a “walking fire service encyclopedia … [and] the fire service advocate when no one else is willing to speak up on tough issues facing our job.”

Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes (Ohio) Fire Department said, “When I heard that Glenn was selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award, I thought to myself, ‘well, duh, who better? Absolutely no one!  There is no aspect of the fire service that Glenn has not had a positive impact on.”

Upon receiving his award, Corbett addressed the multiple changes the fire service has faced over the decades, noting that firefighters today face a confluence of deadly challenges. But he offered hope. “Our traditions and core principles will get us through this time of great change,” he reassured.

Corbett thanked the Brennan family, his family, his friends and coworkers at Fire Engineering and FDIC, and his mentors, including his late father, whom he said continues to guide him. “Thanks, dad; this really belong to you,” he said.