Fire Chief Reginald T. Johnson comes to the City of Charlotte Fire Department with nearly 25 years of well-rounded fire service and emergency management experience from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Chief Johnson has a Master's of Science degree in Emergency Management and a Bachelor's degree in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College. He served as alternate on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 Committee and has professional membership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs and International Association of Fire Fighters.
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
- Embrace innovation and education as a means to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness
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:
Vacant
Deputy Chief Samuel Jones - Deputy Chief of Operations
Deputy Chief Samuel Jones joined the Charlotte Fire Department in1989. 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 4 years training recruits and facilitating in-service training for the department. He also was assigned to Station 8 for 3 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's of Science degree in Business from Bluefield State College in West Virginia. He is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Chief Jones is responsible for overseeing Charlotte Fire Department Operations which includes 42 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 in advancement through the ranks.
He maintains cohesiveness within the department and manage 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, he 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 for the department.
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.
CFD Information and Technology