Bucks County Community College officials has named Ryan Ross as the new Director of the Fire School, bringing experience in fire-service leadership, training, operations, and organizational management to the role.
Ross is currently battalion chief with the Perkasie Fire Company, where he has been a member since 2009. He has also served as founder and CEO of Quality Back Office, a multi-site organization where he oversaw budgeting, operations, logistics, and strategic planning. Prior to that, the Perkasie resident served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a section lead, curriculum author, and instructor, leading large teams and developing training programs adopted across an entire occupational field.
“Every bit of my fire training happened right here at Bucks, and this school shaped the firefighter and officer I became,” Ross said. “When the chance came to lead it, I didn’t see it as shifting gears. I saw it as coming home and giving back to the place that trained me and thousands of firefighters across Pennsylvania and beyond. The firefighters and departments we serve deserve the best training anywhere, and my goal is to make sure that’s what Bucks delivers, every class, every time.”
As Director of the Fire School, Ross will lead firefighter training and certification programs that support fire departments and emergency responders throughout Bucks County and the surrounding region.
“We are thrilled to have Ryan join this important leadership position,” said President & CEO Patrick M. Jones. “As an active firefighter in Bucks County, a business entrepreneur, and a United States Marine Corps veteran, he possesses the knowledge, business acumen, and leadership skills needed to lead the Fire School into its next era of service both in Bucks County and beyond.”
Ross, who earned a business degree from Park University, says the combination of his military and business experience plus firefighting service make him uniquely qualified to lead the College’s Fire School.
“The Marine Corps taught me that standards matter and that you take care of your people,” Ross said. “Building and running businesses taught me to listen to the customer, be accountable for results, and make an organization work for the people it serves. And serving as a battalion chief taught me what firefighters actually need when they walk into a classroom or onto the training ground. I’ll bring all three to this job.”
Bucks County Community College is the largest provider of fire and emergency services training and certification in Pennsylvania, training about 45,000 first responders annually in all 67 counties in the Commonwealth. The College operates the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center in Doylestown and the Lower Bucks County Public Safety Training Center in Croydon, and sends teams of instructors throughout the United States and abroad.
Learn more at bucks.edu/publicsafety.