John S. Butler has been the Fire Chief for the Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department since September 2018. He previously served as the first internal fire chief for Howard County, Maryland and was the first chief to have held every rank within that department. He sits on the Northern Virginia Fire and Rescue Leadership Development Institute Advisory Board, National Fire Academy Board of Visitors, and executive board of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. He is a Marine Corps veteran with 20 years of service, including two combat tours.