VIDEO/PHOTOS: Jacksonville Fire Rescue has nearly 1,900 uniformed personnel, 68 fire and rescue stations and operates on a $400 million budget. News4JAX interviewed Former JFRD Fire Chief Martin Senterfitt earlier on Monday, before it was announced that Percy Golden would be taking the lead. Golden, who is no stranger to Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, has served with the department for 21 years and is currently the Deputy Division Chief of Emergency Preparedness. He steps into the role as Fire Chief at a time of continued growth for Jacksonville, and mounting pressure on first responders.
Before the announcement was made, Senterfitt said that whoever is picked for the position has to have a strong business background. He also offered his advice about what he calls a challenging and rewarding job. โYou know, itโs one of the largest fire departments in the nation,โ Senterfitt said. โItโs a very distinguished fire department, very old fire department, but it, like every urban fire department, has major challenges.โ Senterfitt says Goldenโs biggest challenges ahead will be staffing, funding, and keeping up with the cityโs rapid development.
โYouโre trying to provide quality service to a very large population,โ he explained. โYou know, the land mass of Jacksonville is quite unique, and youโre managing literally, well over 1,000 employees with a budget thatโs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. You must be thoughtful, you have to be deliberate, and you have to work through those issues.โ The former fire chief adds that while it can be challenging to manage all of these factors at once, itโs a โvery rewardingโ feeling to do so successfully.
