Maryland welcomes youngest deputy state fire marshal after academy graduation

STATEWIDE — The Office of the State Fire Marshal celebrated a significant milestone today with the graduation of Sierra Hawkins, 23, from the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission Academy in Sykesville. Hawkins, the first non-lateral sworn investigator appointed in over three and a half years, joins the agency as a Deputy State Fire Marshal.

Family, friends, and command staff were present as Hawkins took the oath to serve and protect Maryland residents. Following her graduation, she will begin an intensive field training program lasting up to six months before she assumes autonomous responsibilities in investigating fires and explosions.

Hawkins, a University of New Haven graduate with a degree in Fire Science, interned with the Southern Regional Office in 2022. She is also the first Black female to hold the position in the agency’s 130-year history.

“I am pleased to welcome DSFM Hawkins to our family, and on her career protecting the citizens from fire and explosions,” said Chief Deputy and Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray. “Over the past year, she has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to public safety and the law enforcement profession and completed a rigorous training curriculum at the Academy.”

Assigned to the Lower Eastern Regional Office, covering Dorchester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties, Hawkins will further her studies in fire, arson, and explosion investigations at various national institutions.

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