MARYLAND– The Office of the State Fire Marshal announced the appointment of its first African American Fire Marshal in organization history.
Chief Caroll Spriggs III will serve a six-year term as the state's leader in fire, arson and explosive investigations, according to a press release.
Officials say the appointment follows a months-long selection process which began in May 2026.
Spriggs's decades-long career in emergency services includes 38 years with the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department, serving as Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Annapolis and for Prince George's County, work as a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives task force officer, and being elected secretary of the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board.
Spriggs will be the first African American Fire Marshal in the Office's 132-year history.
Chief Deputy Jason Mowbray served as Maryland's Acting State Fire Marshal since December 2023, when previous Fire Marshal Chief Brian Geraci retired. Mowbray will be assigned to the Office of the Fire Marshal's senior management team following the transition of leadership, according to a press release.
