Charles G. Middleton

Charles Middleton served as a firefighter for 42 years, the last 12 years as Chief of the Fire Department, in Savannah, Georgia, his home town.[1] He announced his retirement on October 31, 2018.

For other uses, see Charles Middleton.
Charles G. Middleton
Born1953 (age 67–68)
Savannah, Georgia
NationalityUSA
Occupationfirefighter
Known forBrought reforms to the Savannah Fire Department

Educational career

Middleton attended Groves High School, graduating in 1970.[2] He then served a hitch in the United States Navy.

Middleton earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University.[1] He earned Chief Fire Officer certification in 2003.

Firefighting career

Prior to serving as Chief, in Savannah, he worked in fire departments in Fort Myer, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia and Orange County, Florida.[1] Middleton started working as Chief, in Savannah, on July 6, 2006, after 12 years in Orange County, Florida, where he had been a Division Chief.[2]

Certifications and standards

According to the Savannah Tribune, Middleton was a reformer, who oversaw reforms that raised the Savannah Fire Department to "one of the nation's highest ranking fire departments."[1]

In 2014, Middleton played a role in the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) recognizing Savannah as one of the cities most prepared to respond to fires.[3] ISO-1 certification is earned by less than half of one percent of American cities' Fire Departments.

In 2016, under Middleton's leadership, the Department was the first in the nation to earn certification, from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, for the skills and preparation of its firefighters in boat handling.[4]

Marine One

Middleton played a key role in Savannah's acquisition of the Marine One, a $1.5 million, state of the art, fireboat.[1] Savannah acquired the vessel in 2014, with $1.2 million of its cost covered by a FEMA Port Security Grant. Shortly after Middleton announced his retirement city officials announced that budget cuts would require the fire station where the fireboat was moored to be closed.[5][6][7]

References
  1. "Savannah Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton To Retire". Savannah Tribune. 2018-10-31. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  2. Megan Matteucci (2006-07-06). "New fire chief is coming home". Savannah Now. Retrieved 2018-11-20. Middleton, 53, grew up on Ferrill Street in west Savannah. He graduated from Groves High School in 1970 and joined the Navy.
  3. "Savannah achieves highest ISO rating". WTOC. Savannah. 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20. ISO representatives met with Savannah Mayor Edna B. Jackson, Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton, Heath Lloyd with the city's water and sewer department, Cathy Plaster and Lt. Jeff Olson with Metro Communications Center and other staff members Wednesday morning to announce that the city has achieved the coveted ISO-1 classification.
  4. Frank Marro (2016-06-03). "Savannah Fire gains national marine accreditation". Fox 28. Retrieved 2018-11-20. 'This is a great accomplishment by all of the firefighters involved in our marine operations division,' said Savannah Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton in the release. 'It's another step in the continued development of Savannah Fire as an elite and influential fire department in the nation.'
  5. Liandra Larsen (2018-11-15). "Engine 16 shuts down in Savannah. So how long will it take firefighters to respond now?". WJCL-TV. Savannah, Georgia. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20. City council decided that resources should be focused on land-based emergencies. The decision to discontinue the engine and its fire boat was predicted to have the least effect on the community. Firefighters disagree, saying marine rescue has saved lives before.
  6. Eric Curt (2018-11-13). "Savannah docks $1.6 million fire boat, relocates firefighter crew". Savannah Now. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20. In addition, the operation of the Engine 16 pumper truck out of the East Oglethorpe Avenue station will also be discontinued this week, although all 15 firefighters that manned the boat and truck will be shifted to other engines, said Ken Slats, Savannah’s acting public information officer.
  7. Darius Johnson (2018-11-08). "Budget cuts shake up fire services". WSAV. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20. They do not expect a decrease in response times with 333 firefighters staffed across the city. But say should they need to perform a water rescue they have other resources such as tugboats and the coast guard. However, those 15 firefighters will remain on standby
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