Joseph L. Kitchen, OFC, is Fire Chief of the Bath Township Fire Department in Lima, Ohio. He joined the department in 1990, as a volunteer. He served six years as lieutenant, and was appointed to the position of Fire Chief in April of 2002. In 2017 he started Command Leadership Concepts LLC as a way to share his experiences from over 30 years in the fire service as well as network with firefighters across the country.

Chief Kitchen is a graduate of Bath High School, Apollo Career Center Public Safety Program, and Rhodes State College where he graduated with honors and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. He has also completed various training courses at Bowling Green State University, Franklin University, and the Ohio Fire Academy. He has completed Fire Officer I, II and III, and holds degrees in Emergency Medical Services and Fire Science. 

He is a Level II firefighter, paramedic, fire investigator and a certified fire safety inspector. Chief Kitchen has over 30 years of service in EMS and holds ACLS, PALS, GEMS, PHTLS & PEARS certifications. Additionally, he is a hazmat / weapons of mass destruction technician, a fire service instructor, and an EMS continuing education instructor. Chief Kitchen is a graduate of the Advanced Exterior Firefighter II program at Texas A&M University.  In 2015 he obtained credentialing from the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Assn. as an "Ohio Fire Chief Officer." In 2016 he completed the John Maxwell Leadership Laws course.

With a background in industrial firefighting, planning, and emergency response, Chief Kitchen works closely with major corporations including, Ford Motor Company and Procter & Gamble. In 2017 Chief Kitchen was appointed to the advisory board of FM Global, a Rhode Island-based mutual insurance company, with offices worldwide, that specializes in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations throughout the world in the Highly Protected Risk (HPR) property insurance market sector.

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Chief Kitchen is an active member of the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association. In 2013, he was named a Fellow of the Ohio Fire and Emergency Services Foundation and in 2014, was elected as its Northwest District Trustee, serving one term. He also serves on the OFCA "Health & Safety Committee," “Marketing Committee,” and is the chairman of the “Membership Committee.” Chief Kitchen is a member of the Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society/Central Ohio FOOLS. In December 2016, Chief Kitchen was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association as Director at Large and has subsequently been re-elected twice.

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Chief Kitchen is the past chairman of the EMS Program Advisory Board at Rhodes State College. He is a member of the Allen County Safe Community Coalition, the Allen County Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Allen County Health Department Emergency Preparedness Committee, the Allen County Regional Planning Fatal Crash Review Committee, President of the Apollo Career Center Educational Foundation Board, Bath Twp. Fire Dept. Foundation Board, and various other organizations. He also serves as the Allen County coordinator for the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Emergency Response Plan. In 2020 he was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to serve on the Governor’s “School Safety Task Force.”

  

Chief Kitchen is a member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Fire Protection Agency, Vice-President of the Northwest Ohio Fire Chief’s Association, and served as President of the Allen County Fire Chief’s Association, Inc. for many years. He is a regular contributor to Fire Engineering Magazine's Online Blog Community and a Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) instructor. Chief Kitchen is also a member of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

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In 2012, he was awarded “Fire Officer of the Year” by the Ohio Department of Public Safety at the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards Ceremony in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Chief Kitchen has also been the recipient of the Apollo Career Center "Citizen of the Year Award," Rhodes State College "Outstanding Alumni Award,"Lima Allen County Safe Community Coalition "Fire Safety Award," American Heart Association "Heartsaver Hero Award," and the St. Rita's Medical Center "Greg King Star of Life Award." In 2017, Chief Kitchen was presented the "Wemmer Vocational Service Award" and in 2018 he received the “Hulsken Youth Service Award’ from the Lima Rotary Club. In October 2016, he became the assistant advisor of the Bath High School Interact Club, a student leadership and community service group. 

In addition to FDIC in Indianapolis, Indiana, Chief Kitchen has presented at the NFPA Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Kentucky Fire Chiefs’ Assn. Conference in Bowling Green Kentucky, and multiple and various conferences, seminars, and workshops in the U.S.

 

Chief Kitchen resides in Lima, Ohio and has a daughter who is a student at Bath Local Schools. He enjoys spending time with family, speaking about the fire service to local, regional and national organizations, teaching, and training new firefighters and fire officers. Chief Kitchen volunteers in his community and supports organizations such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the West Ohio Food Bank.  He is a fan of the Cincinnati Reds and enjoys visiting Great American Ballpark. He is also a fan and follower of Bath High School athletics.