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FIRE CHIEF REGINALD T. JOHNSON
Reginald T. Johnson is the Fire Chief for the Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) and was appointed in April 2018 as the first African American Chief of the Department. Chief Johnson has acquired a Master of Science degree in Emergency Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies, both from the University of Maryland University College (now known as University of Maryland Global Campus). He was an alternate on the NFPA 1710 Committee and has professional membership with the IAFC, Black Chief Officers Committee (BCOC), North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association, NC Association of Fire Chiefs, and IAFF. He currently serves as a Commissioner of the NC State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). He has been married to his wonderful wife Angela for over 26 years and has two children.
Chief Johnson embraces the mission of the department and strives to always improve the all-hazards and nationally recognized services delivered to the citizens and visitors to the Queen City. He also envisions a department truly engaged in the community at the local level as demonstrated daily by the men and women of the department.
Some additional priorities include:
- Increased fire and life safety education for the community
- Improved health and safety of department members
- Improve diversity within the department, to better reflect the community we serve
There are three deputy fire chiefs, each assigned to manage specific divisions/content areas in the department.
There are also six division chiefs to further facilitate communication and collaboration across the Charlotte Fire Department and to enhance opportunitThere are also six division chiefs to further facilitate communication and collaboration across the Charlotte Fire Department and to enhance opportunities to immerse the fire department into neighborhoods for better community impact across the city.
Office of Public Information and Community EngagementBattalion Chief:
Darrick Cooper
Deputy Chief Samuel Jones - Deputy Chief of Operations
Deputy Chief Samuel Jones joined the Charlotte Fire Department in 1989. He was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain on January 8, 2005, as a Relief Captain and later assigned to Ladder 1. He was reassigned to the Training Academy and spent over four years training recruits and facilitating in-service training for the department. He also was assigned to Station 8 for three years until his promotion to the rank of Battalion Chief in 2016. Chief Jones served as the Battalion 4 Chief until his promotion to Deputy Chief on November 10, 2018.
Deputy Chief Jones has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Bluefield State College in West Virginia. Chief Jones is responsible for overseeing Charlotte Fire Department Operations which includes 43 fire stations, rescue services, dive operations, hazardous materials, airport rescue & firefighting operations for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. This also includes coordinating, planning, organizing, and directing all phases of Charlotte Fire Department operations with the Fire Chief.
He is leading the department with honor, integrity, and professionalism. Through his mentorship, firefighters have achieved opportunities for advancement through the ranks. He maintains cohesiveness within the department and manages successful diversity recruitment campaigns within the department.
Chief Jones has been married to Tina for 32 years and they have three children, sons Samuel Jr, Christopher, and his daughter Taylor.
Deputy Chief Jerry Winkles - Deputy Chief of Business Administration
Since joining the Charlotte Fire Department in 1995, Deputy Chief Jerry Winkles has been continually driven to prepare himself to serve the citizens of Charlotte through education, training, and on-the-job experiences as he rose through the ranks. His operational preparedness and experience began as a Firefighter I and II and continued as he served as an Engineer, Captain, and Battalion Chief. Administratively he has completed many special projects including serving as the Accreditation Manager and leading the ISO re-evaluation project that resulted in the City of Charlotte’s ISO Class I rating. He also served as the Strategic Planning Chief and the Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration for the department, prior to becoming Deputy Chief of Business Administration.
Deputy Chief Winkles has completed the Executive Fire Officers Program (EFO) at the National Fire Academy and received the Chief Fire Officer’s (CFO) designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology- Fire Safety from UNC- Charlotte.
Deputy Chief Winkles and his wife have four children; they enjoy serving at their church, hiking, and camping.