PHOTOS: Charlotte Fire has named Capt. Jerry Rodgers Jr. its 2025 Officer of the Year, recognizing nearly four decades of service built on steady leadership, deep knowledge, and a quiet determination to make the department stronger every day.
Capt. Rodgers, who commands Rescue 10 on C Shift, joined Charlotte Fire in November 1986. From the first day he stepped into a firehouse, he felt the pull of a profession that offered challenge, teamwork, and purpose.
โEvery single day is a new adventure,โ Capt. Rodgers said. โItโs a new call, a new challenge. I enjoy the people, the calls, the pace. Itโs exciting work, never a mundane nine to five. I have always been proud to be a Charlotte firefighter.โ
When he began, Charlotte was a much smaller city. The department operated fewer stations and call volume was a fraction of what crews see today. Capt. Rodgers remembers that growth vividly. โWe have almost doubled in size since I came on in 1986,โ he said.
