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Edward Casares, Jr., former Hartford fire chief, was a 33-year member of the Hartford Fire Department, retiring in 2010. He was a founding member of the Society of Latin American Firefighters, the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, and the International Association of Hispanic Firefighters. He was a member of the Latin American and Metro Fire Chiefs sections of the National Fire Protection Association, the Connecticut Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, the Capitol Region Fire Marshals Association, the Connecticut Fire Marshals Association, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Casares served as a peer assessor for the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the Center for Accreditation International. He was an instructor at the Dr. Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute held at Clark Atlanta University and Dillard University, New Orleans.

He has served as commissioner and chairman of the Hartford Redevelopment Agency and as a member of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee in the Sixth District, the Lozada Park renewal project, the Hartford Juvenile Review Board Advisory Council, and the Goodwin University Board of Trustees.

Chief Casares is currently employed by the Community Renewal Team (CRT) in Hartford as a safety officer/inspector. He has been awarded the 2006 Maria C. Sanchez Leadership award and has received proclamations from Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and the mayors of Hartford and Miami.

Chief Casares is a 2008 graduate of the Dr. Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute (EDI). He graduated from Goodwin University with an associate degree in Homeland Security and a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University. Edward lives in Hartford with his wife of 44 years, Ines.