Stacy Gerlich, Vice President and Peer Support Team

Battalion Chief/EMT Stacy Gerlich, executive officer of the Administrative Operations Bureau, retired in February after 35 years of service in the City of Los Angeles. Her duties at retirement included Gender Equity Officer, LGBTQ Liaison, Department Resilience Officer, Department Sustainability Officer, and manager of the  Behavioral Health Program. She is considered an expert in disaster preparedness. Chief Gerlich is also a member of the Peer Support Program and is extremely passionate about the behavioral and mental health of our first responders. Chief Gerlch was one of twenty-three members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department that responded to the World Trade Center attack in September 2001.

Chief Gerlich has two master’s degrees in organizational management and homeland security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. She completed a certificate in the psychology of leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion from eCornell University. She has held many departmental positions in her tenure, including CERT Commander, Los Angeles Regional Critical Incident Planning and Training Alliance, Community Risk Reduction Commander, EMS Training Officer, EMS Battalion Captain, and Operations Valley Bureau EMS Resilience Officer. Stacy is also a guest lecturer at California Lutheran University in leadership. She received the Champion of Change award during the Obama administration. In August 2021, Stacy received the Pinnacle Award from the Los Angeles Women in Fire Service (Women in Homeland Security) Association. From July 2023 to October 2023, Chief Gerlich enrolled in SOARING WINGS FOUNDATION Brainpaint program. The results were remarkable. The change in her sleep, anxiety levels, and overall emotional health was evident. She is a true advocate of mentoring others who suffer from the long-term effects of psychological trauma and the toll it can take on each of us.