Tim Tharp is a fourth-generation firefighter and retired Battalion Fire Chief/Paramedic with more than 30 years of service in the fire service. After retiring in 2009, he continued his public safety career as a subject matter expert with the United States Marine Corps, where he helped design emergency management career paths and assessed installation-level emergency programs nationwide.

He later brought his leadership and crisis management expertise to the State of Maryland, where he played a key role in the COVID-19 response, including leading the establishment and operations of 13 mass vaccination sites across the state. He also served as chief of staff to the Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard, guiding statewide emergency management and leadership initiatives.

Now retired from state service, Tim is the CEO and Founder of the First Responders Resilience Network (FRRN), where he continues his lifelong commitment to the public safety community. After reflecting on his own journey, he asked himself: “Why was the good stuff—the tools and resources for resilience—only available after I needed them?” That realization inspired him to create FRRN and this program, designed to put essential skills for well-being, peak performance, and resilience into the hands of first responders before tragedy and trauma hit.