Fire Chief Ray Reynolds Honored for Excellence in Fire and Life Safety

The International Code Council, in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Fire and Life Safety Section, recently presented Fire Chief Ray Reynolds with the 2024 Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Award. The award honors fire and life safety professionals for their leadership, service and support of model fire codes and standards. Reynolds received the award during the IAFC Fire-Rescue International Conference and Expo in Dallas, TX.

Chief Reynolds serves as Fire Chief for the City of Nevada Fire Department in Iowa where he oversees fire department operations and implements community risk reduction programs using a multidisciplinary approach to reduce injuries to firefighters and the community.

Reynolds also serves as both a sworn peace officer and critical care paramedic within the City of Nevada Public Safety Department. Previously, Reynolds served as Iowa State Fire Marshal from 2010 to 2013.

Reynolds Leads National Effort to Curb Home Oxygen Fires

Following two fatal fires in the City of Nevada in 2022 and 2023, Reynolds identified a disturbing upward trend in community and firefighter risk from fires caused by people smoking while using supplemental oxygen in their homes. In the 2022 fire, a 74-year-old woman was pulled from her home alive with severe burns but succumbed to her injuries the next day. The 2023 fire claimed the life of a 73-year-old male and severely burned two family members. Cigarette smoking and home oxygen concentrators were factors in both fires. These tragic incidents spurred Reynolds to organize and lead a national initiative to reduce the risks of fires involving home oxygen therapy and oxygen concentrators.

Modeling a successful approach implemented by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2018, Reynolds began advocating for the use of thermal fuses, otherwise known as fire breaks, in oxygen tubing both at the oxygen concentrator and near the patient to help stem the rash of home oxygen fires. Reynolds’ efforts were central in convincing Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services to publish and distribute information on thermal fuses to Medicaid patients and home medical equipment suppliers.

As a member of the IAFC Fire and Life Safety Section Board of Directors, Reynolds has elevated advocacy for using thermal fuses with oxygen tubing with the nation’s fire service. He has delivered presentations to fire and life safety educators, regulators and federal policymakers with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, DC. 

IAFC Fire and Life Safety Section Chair, Chief Greg Rogers said, “Chief Reynolds demonstrates a willingness to tackle challenges beyond his immediate expertise and seeks innovative solutions to enhance fire and life safety nationwide.”

Additionally, Reynolds served as a member of the Code Council’s Fire Code Action Committee from 2017-2023 where he developed code proposals that enhanced the fire and life safety requirements of the International Codes®.