Student Profile: Burchall

I have been helping her out with all the media attention. I owe her that.”

Smith said spending the day with her sister at the inauguration was extraordinary. She noted sitting between Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga and near Former Presidents and First Ladies Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, and George W. and Laura Bush.

“It was so exciting to be there with her,” said Smith-Williams. “She did such a beautiful job of representing her chapter and our nation.”

Both sisters noted that Chief Hall was committed to not just reading the Pledge of Allegiance, but also signing it for people who are hard-of-hearing or deaf, including a number of her own family members. Hall said her personal request spurred her simultaneous use of sign language during the reading of the pledge.

“I’m the child of a deaf parent and I have other family members and friends who are deaf, so I wanted to ensure they got the pledge,” she said. “Sis was my plus-one and it was wonderful spending the day with her. She is a fire fighter as well, in fact, the first and only African-American female chief fire marshal in Savannah. Public service runs in our family.”

After being honored in the nation’s Capital, Hall was still trying to stay on top of her Waldorf studies amidst even more distractions. After all, she needs to maintain that perfect GPA.

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Student Profile MR. L. REGINALD BURCHALL

Chief Fire Officer, Mr. L. Reginald Burchall, is currently enrolled in the Master’s program for Organizational Leadership. Chief Burchall saw a presentation given by Waldorf at a Caribbean Fire Chiefs meeting and chose the Organizational Leadership program as it seemed to fit best with his career. Chief Burchall states “I use most of the theory learned on a day to day basis. I will say the financial subjects have been most beneficial as this was my weak point. I am more confident now when dealing with financial matters.” The following article was written by Chief Burchall’s administrator at Bermuda Fire & Rescue Services and reprinted with permission.

BERMUDA FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES: TO SERVE AND PROTECT. THE CHIEF FIRE OFFICER, MR. L. REGINALD BURCHALL BECAME THE CHIEF ON APRIL 30, 2013.

Chief Burchall became one of the most decorated Fire Chief’s in Bermuda’s history. Chief Burchall joined the Fire Services during February 1982 and served as a Firefighter, Leading Fireman, and Sergeant of Operations & Training Divisions, Lieutenant and then a Divisional Officer of Operations. He has a BSC in Fire Science and is studying for his Master’s Degree. He has studied at the Fire Science College in the UK and holds Certifications as an International Division Commander, and an International Brigade Commander. Chief Burchall continued his education and earned his EMT, Fire Prevention, Fire Investigation and Emergency Services Strategic Management Certification (BerNews.com May 1, 2013). Chief Burchall is not just a scholar, he is highly respected by the community he serves; as well as the staff that he manages. He is compassionate, knowledgeable, skilled, and would not ask an Officer to complete a task that he would not be willing to do himself. Chief Burchall cares for his Officers and creates policies that will ensure each Officer is safe and can return to their families after a rewarding shift.

Chief Burchall received international acclaim when he became the President of the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs of 18 Islands (2016 to 2019) (CAFC). Chief Burchall streamlined the CAFC Budget ensuring the efficient and effective accumulation and disbursement of resources. One of his most passionate accomplishments is succession planning. Chief Burchall saw talented Officers leaving the Department and taking their skills and experience with them. He saw the need to develop new leaders who could carry on the mantle of their mentors. He created programs to build capable Officers to assume future senior roles.

While the vast majority of businesses closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the careers within the Fire Department became more essential for the safety of our community. Fire Fighters were afforded the budget to acquire state of the art Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s). The Fire Fighters whom are EMS, EMT-B and EMT-I certified; provided Emergency Medical Services to the entire Island. Our [Bermuda Fire & Rescue Services] partnership with the Hospital enabled us to support them by accessing and stabilizing the patients before transporting them to the Hospital. Our [Bermuda Fire & Rescue Services] efforts reduce medical transportation times, while using our own Ambulance.

The Bermuda Fire & Rescue Services has a proud history and has transformed its basic service of fighting fires with leather buckets to fighting fires with Fire Appliance Pumpers and Fire Protection education. We consist of a vast array of professions necessary to meet the needs of our community during natural disasters, pandemics, traffic accidents, industrial accidents and medical emergencies to name a few. It is our responsibility to uphold the integrity of our Department ...