Chris Barron

BAER President

Chief Chris Barron currently serves as Fire Chief of Travis County ESD #5 / Manchaca Fire Rescue, just south of Austin, Texas. With more than 34 years in the fire service, including 24 years as Chief, he has led transformative initiatives to enhance service delivery and operational performance-elevating his department from an all-volunteer ISO Class 7/9 to a fully staffed ISO Class 2 organization.

Chief Barron previously served nearly 15 years as Executive Director of the State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas, overseeing a 23,000-member organization and securing multiple FEMA SAFER grants to support Texas's first responders.

In 2019, he founded his consulting firm, where he assists departments nationwide with staffing, recruitment, and retention, leadership development, and strategic planning. A recipient of numerous honors-including the IAFC Chief of the Year Award-Chief Barron holds an associate degree in Fire Protection and both bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration.