David Houghton is a devoted fire and emergency management professional who has recently retired from the Wayland Massachusetts Fire Department after a distinctive 38-year career from being a call firefighter and rising through the ranks to Fire Chief. Along with dedicating his service to the Town of Wayland, he continues to work for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services as both an instructor and in the Special Operations Division doing special projects. In 1999 he was given the challenge by the State Fire Marshal to develop and implement what today is known as Special Operations. This development included designing, building and implementing specialized equipment and staffing to respond to Emergency and planned incidents throughout the Commonwealth. This program was a shared vision between David and the Fire Marshal and today has been shared in whole or in part in other areas of the Country. David has a B.S. degree in Fire Science, an A.S. Degree in Fire Science and Technology, and has completed a Local Government and Management program with Suffolk University and the Massachusetts Municipal Association. David has a diverse background Firefighting, EMS (ALS and BLS), Dispatch, Fire Prevention, Emergency Management and operations. He is a nationally certified Firefighter, Fire instructor, Fire Inspector, Fire Officer. He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician both at the National Level and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. David has most recently continued his fire service career by being appointed as a call firefighter with the Town of Moultonborough Fire Rescue and is a certified New Hampshire Emergency Medical Technician. He continues to be active with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Fire and Ambulance Mobilization team in the continuous updating and redevelopment of the program. Prior to his retirement as Fire Chief, David was an active member in the Massachusetts Fire District 14 where he was a driving force behind the creation of the District Operational budget, a operations manual and the formalizing of the various specialized teams within the district. David was also selected as the Chief overseeing the Fire District communications team and equipment as well as serving on several other progressive programs within the district. He is a member of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.