William J. Taaffe, North Port Fire Rescue District Chief, is responsible for providing fire and EMS services to 42,000 residents within the City of North Port’s 107+ square miles. 

Chief Taaffe began his career as a volunteer firefighter in1973 and became a paid career firefighter in 1977.

Chief Taaffe was appointed Fire Chief of the North Port Fire Rescue District in January 2003. 

During his career, he has held positions as a Firefighter for the Sarasota Bradenton Airport; Fire Science/Paramedic Instructor with Manatee and Sarasota County Technical Institutes; Lieutenant with the Long Boat Key Fire Department; and most recently, Deputy Fire Chief of Administration for the City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Coastal Carolina University, and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Manatee Community College. 

Chief Taaffe is an expert witness in fire investigation and has served on many professional and technical committees throughout his career.  He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

Scott A. Titus is the Deputy Chief of Operations.  Scott began his firefighting career in 1990 with the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department and transitioned to a full- time career firefighter when he was hired by the City of North Port Fire Rescue in 1993.  During his 14 year career he has held positions as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Lieutenant, Minimum Standards Instructor for Nokomis Fire Academy and Sarasota County Technical Institute, Battalion Captain, and now Deputy Chief of Emergency Services.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management with a focus on Public Safety and a Minor in Human Development from Eckerd College. Scott was selected by his peers and awarded the Firefighter of the Year award in 1998. He is currently a State Certified Firefighter and Paramedic; he holds Instructor III certification, Live- Fire Instructor I certification, State of Florida Fire Officer I, and is a State certified Arson Investigator I. Scott also holds Operational level certifications for the State certified Light Technical Rescue Team and teaches focused awareness and Firefighter Survival Operations. .

Earl Conrad, Jr. is a Captain for the North Port Fire Rescue District. He is responsible for fire & EMS operations for one of the District’s three shifts.  He is a certified Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician.  A 20-year veteran of the department, Earl is one of the original City firefighters. He has earned the honor of being named Firefighter of the Year.  Prior to his employment with the fire department, he served one year as a member of the North Port Volunteer Fire Department and worked for a year with the City of North Port’s Public Works Department. 

Richard Berman, CEM is the Emergency Management Coordinator for the North Port Fire Rescue District.  Serving in various positions and federal, state and local public safety agencies for 20 years, he became a member of North Port Fire Rescue District in 2007.

Richard is a Certified Emergency Manager and holds a A.A.S. Degree in Fire Science Technology from the Delaware County (PA) Community College, a B.I.S. degree in Fire Administration from George Mason University, and a M.S. in Public Safety from St. Joseph’s University, and a post-graduate certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to his coming to North Port Fire Rescue, Richard served as Operations Chief for Sarasota County Emergency Management.  Before moving to Florida in 2005, Richard worked for the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management in the Planning and Operations Sections.  During that time, Richard was involved in the response and recovery to more than a dozen Presidentially- and Gubernatorarily-declared disasters; among which were Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd and Isabel, and the Sever Winter Storm of 2002.  One week after Hurricane Charley stuck Punta Gorda, Richard led a mutual aid deployment team of 24 emergency managers and State fire marshals to manage the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center to assist with their response and recovery efforts.