FIRE CHIEF magazine has announced the winners of its 11th annual Fire Chief of the Year awards for 2006. The winners, Chief Alan Brunacini of Phoenix and Chief Thomas Kuntz of Red Lodge, Mont., were recognized for their dedication and leadership in fire and emergency services. Both chiefs were honored at the general session of Fire-Rescue International in Dallas on Sept. 15. Profiles of Brunacini and Kuntz are featured in the September issue of FIRE CHIEF.

Nominations are open to more than 60 emergency service-related associations and organizations and to previous winners of the award. The winners are selected by FIRE CHIEF's Editorial Advisory Board.

The 2006 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year, Thomas Kuntz of the Red Lodge City/Rural Fire Department, was nominated by the Volunteer & Combination Officers Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and by previous Fire Chief of the Year Award winners.

Kuntz started as a firefighter in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1989 and joined the Red Lodge Volunteer Firefighters Association when he moved to Montana in 1992. Kuntz became fire chief of the Red Lodge Rural Fire District #7 in 1996 and assumed the role of fire chief for the Red Lodge Fire Department in 2003. He is chair of the Wildland Fire Policy Committee of the IAFC and serves on the board of directors of the Montana State Fire Chief Association.

Kuntz was recognized for his role in creating the Wildland-Urban Interface Committee to develop solutions to the largest fire problem facing America, and for his role in challenging and ultimately winning reversal of questionable U.S. Forest Service policies.

Alan Brunacini, 2006 Career Fire Chief of the Year, headed the Phoenix Fire Department and was nominated by Chief Smokey Dyer, the 2005 Fire Chief of the Year. Brunacini joined the Phoenix Fire Department in 1958, became chief in 1978 and retired in August 2006.

One of the best-known chiefs in the nation, he is the author of numerous popular books on fire service and a sought-after industry speaker. His management development skills have produced more than 30 fire chiefs for other U.S. fire departments. Brunacini's common-sense approach of "Be Nice" and his references to "Mrs. Smith" rather than just a “victim” have put a positive face on the role of responders.

"We are extremely pleased to name Chief Kuntz and Chief Brunacini as winners of our 2006 Fire Chief of the Year Awards," said Janet Wilmoth, editorial director of FIRE CHIEF magazine. "This year, as FIRE CHIEF celebrates its 50th anniversary, it's fitting to present these prestigious awards to a young, progressive volunteer fire chief and, at the same time, to honor a 48-year veteran career chief who is truly a legend in the fire service today."

The 2006 awards are sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing, the leading North American manufacturer of fire apparatus.