Associate
Retired Chief of Department City of Vineland Fire Department and Winslow Township Fire Department
Past President NJ Career Fire Chiefs Association
Peter J. Finley, Jr. has served as Chief of Department for two New Jersey Fire Departments, most recently the Winslow Township Fire Department where, significant among other accomplishments, he was responsible for the planning, establishment and initial deployment of the career component of the department. Prior to that he served for 4 ½ years as the Chief of Department for the City of Vineland Fire Department where he initiated significant changes within the department including updating and modernizing equipment, providing the department’s first ever formal officer training, and, significantly increasing the capabilities of the regional hazardous materials response team. During his tenure the department received more than one million dollars in various grants. He formerly commanded the Vineland Rescue Squad gaining significant EMS operations and command experience, and, completing a complete overhaul of that organization’s operations.
Chief Finley serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Fire Science Program at Camden County College. He has also been led efforts to market and expand this program. In addition, Chief Finley has been involved in conducting numerous fire department operational and organizational evaluations including several under the auspices of the United State Coast Guard related to domestic port security assessments. He has also been involved in the development and administration of fire service promotional examinations and assessment processes.
Chief Finley received his Associate in Applied Science degree from Atlantic Community College in New Jersey, and, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Science/ Administration from the University of Maryland. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, earning perfect scores on three of his four Applied Research Projects. He was awarded an Outstanding Research Award for his 2002 paper titled, “Residential Fire Alarm Systems: The Verification and Response Dilemma”.
Chief Finley holds more than two dozen state and national fire service certifications, most of them the highest level attainable. He has been a member of a number of fire service organizations., In 2008 and 2009 he served as President of the New Jersey Career Fire Chiefs Association, a professional association that represents and advocates for the interests of the state’s full time professional fire chiefs and the fire service in general. From 2003–2005 he served on the Training and Education Committee of the Governor’s Fire Service and Safety Task Force. He also previously served on the state committee that developed New Jersey’s first Firefighter I Instructor Manual.