Chief Richard Carrizzo

Chief Richard Carrizzo is President of the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association (PSBTA) and an internationally recognized leader in public safety with over 43 years of experience in emergency services. Appointed to the rank of Fire Chief in 1995, Chief Carrizzo has been having positive impacts to public safety over his entire career. In early 2023, Chief Carrizzo was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), after serving the previous five years on the Board, including as Vice Chairman. Additionally, he served as President for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) during the 2020 to 2021 term and remains active as a Past President with the IAFC. Chief Carrizzo is still active in local, state, and national public safety professional organizations since his retirement in 2025 with Southern Platte Fire Protection District (MO). Chief Carrizzo also has an extensive private sector background serving as board member and as Chairman of the Board for four companies. Chief Carrizzo holds a Master of Business Administration degree, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, an associate degree in Fire Science and is a graduate of National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program. He is also a graduate of the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School for Homeland Defense and Security.