The IAFF presented its prestigious Local Leadership Award to 16 of its distinguished American and Canadian leaders during the 58th Convention in Arlington, Texas.
The award was created by Convention resolution to champion the high standard of leadership set by Dennis J. Murray, the longest-serving Local president in IAFF history and its first recipient in 2008.
Murray, who has been the Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri Local 2665 president since it was chartered in 1978, plans to retire from the position at the end of his current term. Accordingly, General President Edward Kelly and General Secretary Treasurer Frank Líma honored him with a commemorative IAFF fire fighter axe.
The 2026 award presentation on the IAFF’s YouTube page.
The recipients are:
District 1 – Edgardo Santiago, current New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association Secretary-Treasurer and former Rochester, NY Local 1071 president, is a leader who everyone can count on. Day or night, he always answers a call from a member in need.
He has stood up against every threat and championed funding for radio upgrades and cancer insurance coverage for the members. And Santiago helped settle a decades-long dispute over tax revenue that made the current Local 1071 union hall, which helped build himself, a reality, and then helped design the building himself.
District 2 – Trevor Towey, president of Omaha, NE Local 385, is a union leader, active fire fighter, and family man. For 21 years, Towey has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting fire fighters from the city of Omaha, Nebraska, and beyond.
Towey has never backed down from a difficult fight whether he’s assisting his own Local or, as an IAFF strategic campaign specialist, an IAFF affiliate in another state. He did not join the labor movement for titles like “president” or “trustee.” Towey gives it all he has because he believes in the cause, and he cares about his brother and sister fire fighters.
District 3 – Peter Brown Jr., Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association (UPFFA) of Connecticut president, has spent his entire time as a union officer making the impossible happen.
He joined the Norwalk (Connecticut) Fire Department in 1997 and soon took on leadership roles with Norwalk Local 830 and, later, the UPFFA of Connecticut. And when it came to fighting on behalf of Connecticut members, he never took “no” for an answer.
He was told cancer presumption could not pass in Connecticut, but he refused to accept that and kept pushing until cancer presumption protections were in place.
District 4 – Darrin Kelly, Pittsburgh, PA Local 1 Executive Board member, is a champion not just fire fighters, but all of labor and military veterans.
A U.S. Navy veteran , Kelly established Pennsylvania’s first Union Veterans Council (UVC) chapter. The UVC, which was established in 2009, is a national organization that brings AFL-CIO union member veterans together to advocate for veterans’ issues and worker rights.
Kelly joined the Pittsburgh Fire Department in July 2000 and has spent more than a decade of those years in union leadership, representing Local 1 members in disciplinary matters and helping lead the Local’s political, legislative, grievance, and contract work.
And as president of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, he helped add 42,000 members and 26 affiliates, building one of the country’s most active labor councils.
District 5 – Kevin Sherry, Madison, WI Local 311 vice president, has spent more than a quarter of a century as a union leader and advocate for Wisconsin fire fighters. Because of his longevity, he understands the lessons of its past and how to use them to move members forward.
Sherry has helped secure competitive pay, strong benefits, and safety standards that protect members on the job. His command of labor law and department policy has made him an invaluable voice at the bargaining table and within the Local.
But his leadership is also deeply personal. Sherry has stood beside members during some of their most difficult professional and personal moments and mentored generations of Local 311 leaders.
District 6 – Paul Hills, Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) Paramedic Association Local 3270 past president, has a long list of contributions. But perhaps his most impactful has been his strong advocacy for peer support and peer fitness programs.
Hills, throughout 21 years in union leadership, also fought for better pay and working conditions for paramedics across Saskatchewan and Canada. And his advocacy helped keep federal protections for emergency personnel moving through successive bills and a federal election until new Criminal Code protections became law this summer.
District 7 – Curtis Smith, current Professional Firefighters of Idaho president and former president of Pocatello, ID Local 187, has guided Idaho members through some of their toughest times.
He helped his home Local negotiate strong contracts and stood with members through grievances for more than 20 years.
After he retired, he answered the call to lead once again. This time, he would be serving the entire state through the Professional Firefighters of Idaho as a district representative, secretary-treasurer, and president. He also currently holds the position of IAFF 7th District field service representative.
District 8 – Jeffery Moore, current Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters (OAPFF) 4th District Vice President and past West Chester, OH Local 3518 president, has stood up on behalf of Ohio members on every issue – from fair pay to unfair labor practices.
As president of Local 3518, he fought for fair contracts and represented members facing undue discipline and discriminatory treatment by department officials. And, as a vice president for the OAPFF, Moore has pushed for fair pensions and offered his assistance wherever it was needed.
He understands that the work of building union strength is never finished.
District 9 – Karl Koenig, Oregon State Fire Fighter Council president emertius and past Clackamas County, ORLocal 1159 president, spent his time as union leader supporting his brother and sister fire fighters as a champion for issues important to the fire service and as a mentor for new fire fighters.
During more than 20 years as president of Clackamas County Local 1159, Koenig helped reduce the workweek from 56 to 49 hours, modernize health coverage, strengthen retirement security, and advance safer staffing. At the state level, he helped expand fire fighter apprenticeship programs across Oregon, creating new opportunities to enter the profession.
District 10 – Dave Gillotte, Los Angeles County, CA Local 1014 president and California Professional Firefighters 7thDistrict Vice President, has given the fire service and the labor movement 100 percent.
Under his leadership, Local 1014 has helped make California a national leader in behavioral health and post-traumatic stress injury protections. Gillotte, who is still a fulltime fire fighter, has also played a central role in strengthening cancer presumption coverage for fire fighters and their families.
His leadership of the Measure E campaign secured one of the most significant public safety funding victories in Los Angeles County history – projected to generate approximately $1 billion over 10 years for staffing, equipment, infrastructure, and emergency response.
District 11 – Billy Hodge, Longview, TX Local 4331 president, knows a critical component of effective leadership is building relationships. To make sure his members receive fair treatment, Hodge has worked to strengthen relationships with city management, the city council, and the mayor’s office.
His approach has helped Local 4331 make progress while earning greater respect across the community. And the members benefit by being positioned to have a stronger, safer, and better future.
District 12 – Nathan Bailey, Atlanta, GA Local 134 past president and current Professional Fire Fighters of Georgia president is a leader who meets big challenges head-on.
Bailey was serving at one of the city’s busiest fire houses when he began the push for the Local’s first collective bargaining agreement. Pure determination and strong advocacy eventually led to Local 134’s first contract.
Behind that victory, Bailey spent years organizing members, educating fire fighters about their rights, and building the Local’s capacity to bargain. The agreement gave Atlanta fire fighters a stronger voice in their pay, benefits, working conditions, and workplace protections – and created a foundation future leaders can build on.
District 13 – Bob McCutcheon, Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association Secretary-Treasurer and Clarington, ON Local 3139 member, always thinks of the members first.
Known across the province of Ontario as “The Bob,” McCutcheon spent nearly 15 years as chair of Local 3139’s Economic Policy Committee and guided members through difficult bargaining and workplace disputes. His work included helping reinstate a terminated member and defending members against employer attacks on sick leave and other protections.
McCutcheon has carried his deliberate approach into his work across Ontario and as secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. His peers know they can depend on him to make the right decisions on behalf of the membership.
District 14 – Johnny Bass, Professional Firefighters Association of Mississippi president, has tirelessly and selflessly served the members of Mississippi for 38 years.
It has been no easy task, but Bass has never lost faith in the cause. Even in tough financial times, he signed over his own paycheck to keep the association afloat. That is the kind of leader he is.
Over the years, Bass helped establish revenue from professional fire fighter specialty license plates, giving the association the resources to pay its bills, assist members facing tragedy, and begin building financial stability.
District 15 – Barry Durling, Fredericton, NB Local 1053 president, has been a lifelong steward of the IAFF and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
One of the first things he did as a union member was to go out year after year to raise money for MDA. Each year, he would spend 72 hours or more filling the boot.
Ready to do more, Durling eventually ran for union office. As president, he helped negotiate one of the Local’s first collective agreements in decades. He also saw a precedent-setting pension fight through to the end, reinstating the pension board and helping protect members’ retirement security for generations.
District 16 – Joseph Love, former 16th District Field Service Representative and past Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Local F-61 president, is one of the IAFF’s longest serving union leaders with nearly 50 years of service.
During the federal government shutdown when members had to go without a paycheck, Love did not wait for someone else to step in. He helped launch the IAFF’s “Adopt a Family” program, mobilizing Locals in every district to support federal fire fighters struggling to cover expenses. Every member who asked for help received it.
Love has always been a problem solver. Over the years, he has negotiated, arbitrated, and mediated on behalf of federal locals across the 16th District. Just as important, he has mentored the leaders who will continue that work.
