Raymond Gretz recently retired as a Deputy Fire Chief in the Washington, D.C. Fire & EMS Department. His firefighting career began as a volunteer firefighter in 1990 at the College Park Volunteer Fire Department in College Park, Maryland. His volunteer service included serving as a line officer to the rank of Captain and being an elected member of the Board of Directors. Ray still retains a volunteer affiliation with this organization.

In the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department, he held many positions, most recently, the Deputy Chief directing the Risk Management Division. He has considerable experience in operations, as well as training, special operations, and a variety of administrative positions. Other experience includes serving as the agency Finance Section Chief at National Security Special Events such as Presidential Inaugurations. He is a certified public manager and a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program. He holds a Master's Degree in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

Ray has been involved with MRI for over seven years and has been involved in several organizational studies and regional projects.