Barry F. Finley

Chief Barry Finley is a lifelong resident of Youngstown and attended City schools, graduating from The Rayen High School in 1984, where he was the president of the senior class as well as student council. Chief Finley served in the US Army from 1985 to 1988, working as a highly-trained and motivated infantry soldier. While stationed at The National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, he trained with US soldiers in how to fight in desert conditions, a skill that is being put to use today.

He attended Stark Technical College in 1991 and received his firefighter certification. He was hired to work for the City of Youngstown, Division of Fire in March of 1993 and worked his way up through the ranks to Lieutenant and Captain. Chief Finley was the commander of the fire department technical rescue team and assistant commander of the department honor guard. Chief Finley was appointed fire chief by Mayor Jamal Tito Brown in February of 2018.

The Youngstown Fire Department is a 125 person department, with 8 fire stations, 9 front-line trucks (including 2 ladder trucks), 1 heavy rescue truck, and 6 engines. Chief Finley operates the department on a 13 million dollar budget. Chief Finley’s leadership philosophy is that of a servant leader. He believes that organizational success is derived from three components: Operational systems, Relationships, and Accountability.

Chief Finley holds certifications as a firefighter and EMT/paramedic instructor, graduating from Canton Aultman Paramedic program and receiving his certification from the state of Ohio in 1990, a certification that he still holds. Chief Finley also graduated from The Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute, which is designed to mold ambitious firefighters into highly motivated chief officers in the fire service, and from Jameson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, receiving his license as a registered nurse in the state of Ohio in 2009. He was subsequently hired by Humility of Mary Health Partners, working in the emergency room at St. Joseph Hospital in Warren and on the Mobile Intensive Care unit. Most recently, Chief Finley graduated from Youngstown State University with his Bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2019.

Chief Finley has achieved numerous awards and commendations during his career. He is the oldest of four children, with two younger brothers and one sister, and has been married for 13 years to his beautiful wife Troy. Together they have a daughter Andrea and have one grandson Cayson.