Delegates at the 58th IAFF Convention elected two new district vice presidents to fill vacancies left by retiring 7th District Vice President Ricky Walsh and 14th District Vice President Danny Todd.
Tim Hoover and Chad Major were sworn in on the final day of Convention, and their terms began Oct. 1. Hoover will represent the 7th District, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Washington, while Major will represent the 14th District, which includes Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
Tim Hoover, 7th District Vice President
“It has been my honor to give over 40 years to you, the fire fighters and EMS personnel, professionals of this great union,” Walsh said as he received emeritus status at convention. “Now, it is time for me to give to the rest of humanity.”
He added that he was leaving the 7th District in good hands with the newly elected Hoover.
Hoover joined the South County (Washington) Fire Department in 1995. He quickly joined Local 1828 and became heavily involved in union advocacy.
With Local 1828, Hoover served as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and political director. In each positions, he fought for better wages, benefits, and working conditions for members.
In 2008, Hoover was appointed as an IAFF State Representative for Washington, assisting Locals throughout the state. Four years later, he was elected as WSCFF 6th District Representative, supporting more than 1,000 members on everything from contract negotiations to unfair labor practices.
He was appointed a District Field Service Representative in 2022, expanding his work district wide.
I am honored that the members of the Magnificent Seventh have put their trust in me to serve them as 7th District Vice President. There are fights ahead like the ongoing push to establish defined benefit pensions for our Alaska members and attacks on collective bargaining by some of our state legislators. I look forward to working with our state and local labor leaders to win these fights.
7th District Vice President Tim Hoover
Hoover has also been appointed by the Washington State Secretary of Health as the WSCFF representative on the Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems Steering Committee.
“I am honored that the members of the Magnificent Seventh have put their trust in me to serve them as 7th District Vice President,” Hoover said. “There are fights ahead like the ongoing push to establish defined benefit pensions for our Alaska members and attacks on collective bargaining by some of our state legislators. I look forward to working with our state and local labor leaders to win these fights.”
Chad Major, 14th District Vice President
Todd, who spent 50 years as a union leader – more than half of them as 14th District Vice President – told Convention delegates to stay in the fight, even when city and county leaders say “no.”
He offered a simple piece of advice to IAFF members, including Major: “No is not a stop sign. Don’t stop. Never quit trying,” Todd said.
Major joined the Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Fire Department in 1988 and retired after 32 years of service in 2020. His last position was chief of administration, but he returned for a few months as interim fire chief to help his department through a transitional period.
He is a longtime Baton Rouge, LA Local 557 leader, serving as recording secretary for a year before serving eight years as president. In 2004, Major was elected president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association of Louisiana.
As president of Local 557 and PFFALA, Major fought to improve members’ pay, benefits, and working conditions.
In 2019, Major and the PFFALA successfully lobbied for legislation adding all cancers to the state’s rebuttable presumption. The association later secured cancer screenings for fire fighters with legislation that passed in 2024 and went into effect in 2025.
Major was also instrumental in the 2017 passage of SB 107, which created a legal presumption allowing current and former first responders to claim workers’ compensation for medically documented PTSD without having to prove an accompanying physical injury.
I am honored that the members of the Fighting Fourteenth have entrusted me with this leadership role. Together, we will take Danny’s advice to not take ‘no’ for a final answer and never quit. And we will continue to have each other’s backs in case of major weather events like Hurricane Katrina. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.
14th District Vice President Chad Major
During his tenure, Louisiana grew from 31 Locals to more than 55.
“I am honored that the members of the Fighting Fourteenth have entrusted me with this leadership role,” Major said. “Together, we will take Danny’s advice to not take ‘no’ for a final answer and never quit. And we will continue to have each other’s backs in case of major weather events like Hurricane Katrina. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”
