Pat Coughlin is a retired fire chief of Olathe, Kan., and Richfield, Minn. During his career, he served on both career and volunteer fire departments.
Since retiring, Coughlin has served as executive director of the Residential Fire Safety Institute and as a regional manager for the International Code Council. He is an international speaker on fire suppression and community fire risk. His blog, Excellence in Fire Protection, focuses on cost-effective fire protection.
Coughlin has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Purdue University and a master's degree in sociology and public administration from the University of Minnestota. He also is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.
