District Chief Chris E. Mickal entered  
the New Orleans Fire Department as
a Firefighter in 1980.
He was photographing fire scenes
for 9 years prior to that.He was 
promoted to Captain in 1995 and
to District Chief in 2001. He was 
also one of the founding members 
of the Department's Photo Unit. His
photographs have appeared in most
major fire magazines, journals, 
and educational materials. He is 
currently the President of the 
International Fire Photographers
Association.