Rio Rancho Fire Chief James Wenzel is one of 24 fire service leaders selected nationwide to participate in the 2026 Fire Service Executive Development Institute, a prestigious year-long leadership development program administered by the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Wenzel, who was in Baltimore last week for the program’s first on-site session, said the cohort’s geographic diversity has been one of its most valuable aspects.
“There’s only 24 people selected from the entire United States and Canada,” Wenzel said. “I’ve met my peers and we’re from all over the United States, so we get to work together over the next year trying to make sure we can all become effective fire service leaders.”
The FSEDI, now in its 14th year, accepts only 24 participants annually. The cohort will meet in person three times throughout the year for intensive sessions focused on fire service leadership principles, and will attend the Fire-Rescue International conference in Kansas City, Mo., in August.
Unlike the more research-heavy Executive Fire Officer Program, Wenzel described FSEDI as focused squarely on practical leadership preparation.
“This is more about leadership preparation — just helping us become better fire chiefs,” he said. “I’m super blessed and humbled to have been selected.”
Wenzel said lessons from the program will inform his approach to strategic planning, team development and community engagement back in Rio Rancho.
“I’m really trying to focus on what Rio Rancho needs, making sure that the fire department is answering those goals,” he said, adding that priorities include planning for a new fire station and continued hiring.
The experience has also offered Wenzel a chance to benchmark Rio Rancho against departments across the country — and he likes what he sees.
“It’s as much learning as it is comparing ourselves to other departments and seeing, hey, we’re actually doing really well in other areas,” he said.
He pointed to Rio Rancho’s paramedic training pipeline as a prime example. Over the past two years, the department has sent 30 members to paramedic school, with 10 currently finishing their training and expected to return to active duty in May.
“We’re sending multiple members to paramedic school every year,” Wenzel said. “Seeing programs like that out here, talking to different fire chiefs — that’s been really validating.”
Wenzel said the department has built significant momentum in recent years and his job is to sustain it thoughtfully.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in our department just in the last five years,” he said. “My job is to come on and continue that, but making sure we look operationally at how we’re growing — doing the right moves, growing strategically.”
He added: “We have a lot of things going, a lot of momentum right now. The goal is to keep the foot on the gas pedal and make sure we’re doing it in a smart way.”
Wenzel is also concurrently enrolled in the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmitsburg, Md., widely regarded as the highest professional development credential in American fire service leadership. He has completed three of the four required courses, describing it as “the pinnacle for fire department leadership in the U.S. and the world.”
“People from around the world will apply to go to Emmitsburg for the program,” he said. “I just finished up my third class, so I’ve got one more to go.”