Shane Ray Named Executive Vice President of National Fire Sprinkler Association

Shane Ray of Columbia, South Carolina has been named Executive Vice President of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). He will begin work on July 16, 2014.

“I look forward to the opportunities and challenges of this position and am excited to return to the NFSA team,” added Ray. “My passion for fire prevention and a non-typical approach is long standing, and there is no better tool in the fire service toolbox than fire sprinklers. I believe in the application of fast water, and it doesn’t get any faster than the performance of fire sprinklers.”

The NFSA’s mission is to protect lives and property from fire through the widespread acceptance of the fire sprinkler concept. An association of dedicated manufacturers,
suppliers, contractors, and laborers committed to saving lives and property with the early suppression of fires.

Chief Ray’s experience will serve him well as he re-joins a team that he served with from 2006-2010, prior to becoming the South Carolina Fire Academy Superintendent and later the State Fire Marshal . He began his fire service career in 1984 and worked through the ranks of career and volunteer organizations serving from firefighter to chief. He also served six years as Mayor of the Town of Pleasant View. Shane currently serves as South Carolina State Fire Marshal, with his last day being July 1, 2014.

“We are excited for Shane to re-join our team,” adds Russ Fleming, NFSA President. “NFSA understands the important role that the fire service plays in our fire protection
field, and we are happy to have someone with Chief Ray’s credentials on our leadership team. We believe that the fire service is one of our strongest allies and we look forward to increasing our involvement with them in the future as we all work to create a safer world.”

Chief Ray is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the University of Maryland’s Leadership Development Program,
and the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He was selected as Fire Chief Magazine’s Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year for 2005, Eastern Kentucky
University’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award for 2006, and is the Tennessee Fire Chief of the Year 2011.