Otto Huber, Chief of the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department, will be honored at the Salute to Leaders event on July 21 at the Oasis Conference Center in Loveland.
Huber will be presented with the City of Loveland Award to recognize his commitment to the city.
“Chief Huber has dedicated 44 years of his life to the health and safety of the residents of Loveland and Symmes Township,” said Kathy Bailey, Mayor of the City of Loveland. “He has built one of the finest fire departments in Ohio, maybe the entire country.”
Huber was nominated by Bailey and Loveland City Council for his longtime commitment to the city through the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department (LSFD). Huber has led LSFD to earn a Class 1 Public Protection rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) in 2021. This is the highest rating any fire department can receive, ranking LSFD as one of only 383 fire departments in the US to achieve this prestigious honor.
Additionally, under Huber’s leadership, LSFD has earned dual accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). There are only nine other fire departments in Ohio that are accredited by CFAI; in fact, LSFD is one of only 11 departments dual-certified both in Fire and EMS.
Huber’s commitment to the city goes further. In 2017, three businesses in Loveland’s historic business district were destroyed in a fire. The city decided there needed to be one voice to guide the recovery, and Huber took on the role without hesitation. He pushed to improve the restored buildings’ safety by installing sprinkler systems, increasing street access to the buildings, and adjusting overhead power line locations.
Not only committed to the recovery effort of the buildings, he dedicated himself to revitalizing the city’s downtown district as a whole. He recognized the opportunity to modify the city’s sidewalk design and encouraged the creation of a strategic downtown plan.
Huber was nominated for the Salute to Leaders award in 2020, but the awards program was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Salute to Leaders Awards program has been led by the Clermont Chamber of Commerce Foundation since 1994. The program prides itself on honoring unsung volunteers and leaders who live, work or volunteer in Clermont County.
For details and to purchase tickets to the 2021 Salute to Leaders ceremony, click here.