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Johnny Brewington
Johnny Brewington
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Johnny
Brewington
Retired (Cleveland Division of Fire)
Yes
offline

Past IABPFF President


Chair of IABPFF Public Education Committee (2008)


Awarded Cleveland Division of Fire - Fire Chief's Award (2008)


Appointed to Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Citizens Advisory Board (2008)


Base Cleveland Veterans Committee (2007 to the 2012)


Board of Directors for Fire 20/20 (2006 to the 2012)


Instructor for Fire Fighter Training Academy at Cuyahoga Community College (May 2005 to the 2012)


Appointed Fire Chief for the Village of Woodmere (2012)


Appointed Acting Chief of the Highland Hills Fire Department (2004)


Appointed national spokesperson for USFA Campaign to Reduce Fire Deaths Among African-American Babies and Toddler (2004)


Appointed to the Cleveland Municipal School/Cuyahoga Community College Firefighter Training Program (2004).


Awarded Cleveland Division of Fire - Fire Department Officer of the Year (2003)


Elected president of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (2002, re-elected in 2004 and 2006)


Appointment to the Highland Hills Fire Department at the rank of Assistant Chief (2000).

Appointed to Firefighter's ABCs - Advisory Board (2009) Appointed to University Circle, Inc. Future Connections - Advisory Committee (2009) Appointed to Vision 20/20 Steering Committee (2009)


Professional MembershipBlack Chief Officers Committee


Advisor Board for Fire Cadet Program of Shaw High School (East Cleveland, Ohio)

Advisor Board for Public Safety Program of Martin Luther King Municipal Career High School

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Citizens Advisory Board

International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters

National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People

National Association of Parliamentary

National Fire Protection Association

National Public Employer Labor Relations Association


Awards Received

Awards of Valor – Cleveland Fire Department, City of Cleveland, Rotary Club, State of Ohio, International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, and Firehouse Magazine.


Awards of Community Service – Case Elementary School, Painesville NAACP, Morning Star Missionary Baptist church, Bethel Seventh Day Adventist church, American Red Cross, City of Cleveland Minority Recruitment Task Force, and Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.


Outstanding Service – International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, City of Cleveland Employee of the Month, Vanguards of Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award, Cleveland Division of Fire Officer of the Year and Fire Chief's Award.


Community Activities Cleveland Municipal School District High School Public Safety Academy, American Red Cross, Department of Public Safety Recruitment Task Force, Base Cleveland Veterans Committee, Vanguards of Cleveland Operation Bright Future Smoke Detector Campaign, and IABPFF Stop Fire Campaign


Comments (26)

To all our IABPFF, EDI and Chicago Fire Department family, I regret to bring sad news and condolences on the passing of former Deputy Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, Nicholas Russell.
This news is sudden and I ask all to give the family and Department time and space to grieve and then notify us of arrangements. Please the family in your prayers.

So sorry to hear of the passing of Brother Outerbridge. I can remember him being argumentative on the convention floor back in the 70s. I see he continued to voice his strong opinions well after retirement in some of the things he wrote. Thank you for your committment and contributions to the IABPFF. Rest in Peace

Biography, RIP Brother

Fireman Leslie Outerbridge risked his life to save others and risked his job for racial justice. Born December 29, 1936 in Chicago, Outerbridge grew up in the Cabrini Green projects. His father, a former cricket champion from Bermuda, taught him about fair play. Outerbridge was a good student at Jenner School and entered Wells High School early at age twelve. Dropping out at age fifteen, he joined the Air Force in 1953. There, he played on the installations’ basketball, football and baseball teams. After his discharge, Outerbridge drove a taxi, until his father’s friend, Robert Thompson, a black firefighter, “sponsored” him for the Chicago Fire Department (CFD). Outerbridge passed the written exam, but “failed” his first physical. Later, Outerbridge found that his father’s donation of $300 ensured that he “passed” the second time around in 1961. Outerbridge later returned to school, earning a B.S. from Chicago State University in 1981.

In 1968, Outerbridge, along with Jim Winbush and Wesley Thompson and backed by the NAACP, Operation PUSH, and the Chicago Urban League, with inspiration from Father George Clements, Anderson Thompson, and legal assistance from Attorney Kermit Coleman, formed the Afro American Firefighters League (AAFL). The AAFL completed a study in 1973 that detailed the Chicago Fire Department’s record of racial discrimination in hiring and promotional practices. The United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago that same year. Mayor Daley signed the court ordered “consent decree” in 1977, which resulted in increasing the number of black firefighters from 125 to 400 by 1979. Now, the number is over 1,000. Forced to fight a relentless paper war with unhappy CFD brass, Outerbridge discovered that paperwork was their weakness. For thirty-seven years he performed his duties and retired in 1995. Outerbridge was also a founder of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters in 1969.

A talented photographer and part time model, Outerbridge has researched the history of African Americans, the CFD and the great Chicago fires – a history that goes back to 1873 when Willie Watkins was the first black firefighter. Outerbridge lives in Chicago’s West Chesterfield neighborhood with his wife, Annie.

It has come to my attention that Brother Les Outerbridge of Chicago passed to reward yesterday. Brother Outerbridge was a warrior in the war of racism and discrimination on the Chicago Fire Department and he left his legacy, his book called SMOKE. My Brother will be missed by all that knew him. Rest in Peace Warrior.

IABPFF Member Action Item Matrix

-Make sure you are financial and on your submitted chapter list or the individual member list
-Verify login capability Establish a IABPFF website profile, with bio. Copy old bio info from Drum if applicable. Add city skyline Wallpaper, chapter Logo(Chapter Logo archive is available), and Headshot
-When entering your chapter name also put the acronym in parentheses so that your members will come up in a search if they put in either one
-Verify info, add website etc
-If a board member, add position and link to area of responsibility
-Add facebook/LinkedIn page link, and original membership date
-Become familiar with the IABPFF website
-Save the link to pages of importance, and share with others like the Employment, Executive Board, and Membership pages
-Subscribe to the Announcements page
-Make sure your region and chapter is represented on the site
-Go and add an announcement in your regions area about any of your members that have retired, passed away, or got promoted. Each region has its own area for promotions, retirements or funerals.
-Know who your Regional Director is
-Make note of your areas of interest, the committee associated with them, it’s Chair, and their page
-Consider a committee to head up or work with on the national level
-Those in key positions at the local level should make note of and connect with their regional and national counterparts
-Directors, make sure all committees have a regional Representative

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