West meets East as fire chief heads to the Ukraine

Deepa Bharath

When the 19-hour flight comes to an end, an alien language will fall

in Fire Chief Tim Riley’s ears and the weirdness of a different time

zone and the rich aroma of a different culture will assail his

senses.

But the job Riley will perform in the Ukraine will be much like

what he does in Newport Beach.

Riley, who left for the Ukraine on Saturday, will represent the

California Fire Chiefs Assn. during a training program in Ukraine

organized by the California State Partnership Program for Disaster

Assistance, which is supported by the U.S. National Guard.

Riley’s role has more to do with diplomacy and supervision than

hands-on training, he said.

“I’ll act as an observer and critiquer, provide feedback and

training,” Riley explained.

The chief said he is excited about his assignment.

“It’s the first opportunity of this nature that I have received,”

he said. “It promises to be not only a great professional experience,

but also a rich, cultural experience.”

Riley said he will be traveling to the city of Lviv in west

Ukraine.

“I’m very interested to see how they function and what kind of a

governmental structure they have as far as emergency services are

concerned,” he said. “We’re going there to train them. But you never

know. Maybe we’ll learn a few lessons from them as well.”

Riley’s journey comes exactly a week after he was elected to the

International Assn. of Fire Chiefs’ board of directors, representing

the western division encompassing all 10 states.

The association was formed in 1891 by a group of fire chiefs who

were concerned about how to keep up with the increasing demands on

their limited resources.

Riley, who has been in the fire service for more than 29 years,

has served as president of the California Fire Chiefs Assn. as well

as the Orange County Fire Chiefs Assn.

Riley said he filled in the position of a board member who

recently resigned. That term will end in August, but Riley said he

expects to be reelected without opposition to serve a three-year term

after that.

The chief said during his term on the board he would like to make

a strong representation of the western states and develop strong

bonds between the different entities statewide and nationwide.

“It’s important that we all work together effectively,” Riley

said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].