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Virginia Beach Fire Department mourns passing of former chief

Posted at 2:37 PM, Jan 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-10 14:44:01-05

Retired Fire Chieft Harry E. Diezel

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Virginia Beach Fire Department announces with great sadness the passing of retired Fire Chief Harry E. Diezel.

On May 1, 1974, Chief Diezel took the helm of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, after the department’s very first Chief, E.B. Bayne, retired. When Diezel assumed the chief’s position, the VBFD employed just 120 career firefighters and today that number has grown to more than 500.

Cheif Diezel’s bold and innovative leadership helped tremendously with shaping the department into the all-hazards response agency that it is now. Improvements made under his leadership benefited not only the fire department but the citizens of Virginia Beach.

A few months after he was sworn in as Fire Chief, he challenged state building codes to improve fire prevention measures in high-rise and multi-dwelling structures along the oceanfront. He did this despite the controversy it created at that time saying, “I will be a dedicated public servant but I won’t be a public doormat for anyone.”

Chief Diezel is responsible for securing funding for the development of the Urban Search and Rescue Team now known as Virginia Task Force 2 homes-based out of Virginia Beach. That FEMA USAR team as well as other FEMA teams from across the country train at the Virginia Beach Fire Training Center which is also a part of his legacy.

Chief Diezel secured the initial funding needed to build the training center. In May 2018, the facility was renamed the Harry E. Diezel Training Center to honor Chief Diezel and to inspire future generations of fire Chiefs and firefighters to always put public service before themselves.

Chief Diezel retired from the VBFD in September 1997 but his commitment to public service did not stop there. He was unanimously appointed to the Virginia Beach City Council to represent the Kempsville District. He served on the City Council for 10 years.

He devoted almost his entire life to public service. He entered the fire service as a volunteer member of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department when he was only 18-years old. His volunteer service was emphasized with the completion of military duty and included assignments to the 82nd Airborne and 1st Calvary Divisions of the U.S. Army.

Chief Diezel is survived by his wife, Ginny and their son, Matthew. Born on January 10, 1940, he died just one day before his 79th birthday. In a message to the department, the current Virginia Beach Fire Chief, David Hutcheson, said, “Those of us who were fortunate enough to have had him as our chief have lost a mentor and father figure