Atlanta Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin has been nominated to head the Washington (D.C.) Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. His appointment is contingent on the approval of the D.C. council.

Rubin would replace Adrian Thompson, who was removed from his four-year tenure as chief in December 2006. Rubin has been a fire chief in Norfolk, Va., and Dothan, Ala., where he also served as city manager and public safety director. He has been a line firefighter, company-grade officer and command-level officer in Washington, D.C.; Fairfax, Va.; Mesa, Ariz.; Dothan and Norfolk, Va.

Rubin is the former president of the State Fire Chiefs Association of Virginia. He has served on several committees with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, including a two-year term as the Health and Safety Committee Chair. He is the author of many articles on firefighting and a full-length book, "Rube's Rules of Survival."