BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Ernest (Ernie) Mitchell, President (Past)
 

Ernest (Ernie) Mitchell was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved with his family to Compton, California when he was 10 years old.  He grew up there and attended Compton Schools where he was an honor student and football player.  He and his wife, Donnise, married in 1969 and they have two children, Nichelle and Marc, and two grandchildren, Kasai and Jayce. 

Ernie became a surveyor/mapper in the Mapping Section of the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 1968 and in 1971 he became a fire fighter with the Compton Fire Department, where he worked for 20 years.  He was appointed to various positions in Compton, including: firefighter, inspector/investigator, captain, emergency preparedness coordinator, training officer, fire marshal, and battalion chief; he also worked temporarily as a special assistant to the city manager developing the city’s first strategic plan.  During his career in Compton, he was a founding member of IAFF Local 2216 and served on the Executive Board for seven years.  Chief Mitchell was selected and honored as a Compton Hometown Hero in 1988.

Chief Mitchell left the Compton Fire Department in 1991 to become the Chief of the Monrovia, CA, Fire Department and served there for seven years.  In October, 1998, he became Chief of the Pasadena, CA, Fire Department.  He retired from Pasadena in 2004 and began volunteering significant time to projects with several fire service organizations and the Department of Homeland Security.

Chief Mitchell has an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from Long Beach City College, a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco (USF) and a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University at Northridge.  He is a California State Certified Chief Officer and has completed certificated courses in Human Relations and Organizational Behavior (USF) and Intergroup Relations (Loyola Marymount Graduate School/Martin Gang Institute).

His present professional affiliations include serving as President of the International Fire Service Research Center and Policy Institute Board, Member of the International Association of Fire Fighters HazMat/WMD Advisory Board, Member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation Board, Member of the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Board, and Organizational Liaison for the National Fallen Firefighters’ Everyone Goes Home program.  He is also a current member of the IAFC Human Relations Committee, IAFC President’s Council, and a Facilitator for the IAFC/IAFF Labor Management Initiative. 

Chief Mitchell is a former president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, League of California Cities Fire Chiefs, Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs, and the Foothill Fire Chiefs.  Other past affiliations include serving as a member of Fire Chief Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board and as an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy, where he contributed to the design and development of the course: Leading Diverse Communities Beyond Conflict.

Chief Mitchell has been very involved with community organizations where he has lived and served, including: the Leadership Pasadena Board, the Pasadena Chapter of the Los Angeles Urban League Board, and the Pasadena Rotary Club.  He is also a past president of several service organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills, Monrovia Rotary Club, Compton Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Compton First Christian Day School Board.

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