Todd Harms is currently the chief of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department. Harms began his fire service career in 1981 as a Firefighter Paramedic in Peotone, Illinois, and in 1987, became a member of the Phoenix Fire Department. He has progressed through the ranks as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and shift commander. Harms has 35 years of public safety service, of which nine were spent serving as an Executive Staff member for the Phoenix Fire Department. During his tenure, he has had oversight of the Training Academy, Command Training Center Special Operations, Operations, Personnel, Emergency Medical Services, Technical Services, dispatch and the Regional 9-1-1 services. He has been an Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) team member, with deployments to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Harms holds a bachelor's degree in fire service management and is a past adjunct instructor at Phoenix College in the Fire Science Program.