(MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2020) – This morning, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s (MDFR) Lieutenant David Gates was named “Fire Service Instructor of the Year” by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. Gates accepted his award with special recognition during the opening ceremonies at Fire-Rescue EAST in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Gates is a true professional with the highest output level of any instructor and one of strongest work ethics MDFR has ever seen. A lieutenant and a fire safety educator for the last 16 years, Gates demonstrates an ongoing dedication and commitment to Florida's fire service by taking what he developed, teaching and encouraging others to improve themselves and their organization in order to pursue excellence, thus ensuring the safety of others.

Having been a doctor prior to becoming a firefighter, taking care of people comes naturally to Gates. Gates goes above and beyond his scope of work as a lieutenant to provide exemplary fire education and safety training to MDFR personnel and students alike.

Recognized by MDFR for his remarkable role as a driver training instructor, his instructional accomplishments include completely revamping the Driver Training program and revising Driver Policies. Gates has created a video library dedicated to driver training and designed online course curriculum for state-approved driver courses. He has also been responsible for ensuring that all operators achieve certification and pass their driver examinations. Other accolades include rewriting the driver’s certification standard operating procedures (SOP) which benefited MDFR, producing the highest quality of suppression drivers and engineers.

Gates spearheaded the FEMA safety driver study and worked on a special project with Arizona University to help find methods using technology to help reduce emergency service vehicle incidents (ESVIs). This special project accumulated 125 hours of data analysis and reduced the overall monthly crash rate by 28.4%, with an estimated 122 crashes avoided resulting in a significant cost repair savings due to the reduction of ESVIs.

Gates’ acts and deeds as an instructor set an example to the fire profession, to his department and community as well as to his peers. Gates lends his expertise beyond MDFR through Fire Engineering with multiple featured training videos and webcasts that also serve as reference in the national arena. He has traveled to Washington D.C., Ocala and Sacramento representing MDFR at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) and contributes to nationwide conferences both as a student & instructor.

The Florida Fire Chiefs' Association (FFCA) is Florida's leading management education organization for fire and emergency services professionals. Through proactive leadership, education and advocacy, the FFCA actively supports the advancement of the fire service, which is dedicated to the protection and preservation of life and property against fire and other emergencies. The association represents over 2,200 members across the state of Florida.

For more information, please contact MDFR’s Media and Public Relations Bureau at 305-814-8051.