Denise Sylvette Pouget joins the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority public safety department as Assistant Fire Chief. Pouget brings more than three decades of service to the department after beginning her career in the Washington, D.C., area as a firefighter.

“Assistant Chief Pouget’s background makes her a good fit for our 150-member department,” said Airports Authority Vice President for Public Safety Bryan Norwood, who oversees the Airports Authority’s police, fire and emergency medical response functions. “We look forward to working with her, as we work daily to keep our 46.6 million passengers safe.”

Pouget joins the Airports Authority from the Jefferson County, West Virginia Emergency Services Agency, where she has served as its director for the past two and a half years. She began her career as a firefighter and paramedic for the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Fire and Rescue Services. After moving up the ranks in Montgomery County to assistant fire chief for health and safety, she served as assistant fire and EMS chief at the Alexandria, Virginia Fire Department, and also served as the Frederick County, Maryland Fire and Rescue Chief from July 2013 until March 2015.

Pouget graduated from American Public University with a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science Administration and a master’s degree in Emergency Disaster Management. She holds a CFO, NREMT-P certification.