New Deputy Chief is Rooted in Service, Ready to Lead

Published on June 15, 2026

After nearly 29 years of service, Jeff Richardson has been promoted to Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration, where he will oversee Training, Recruitment, Health and Safety, and Human Resources.

 

By Kevin Campbell, Charlotte Fire  

For Jeff Richardson, leadership has never been about rank, authority or title.

"The people of an organization is its soul," he said.

After nearly three decades with Charlotte Fire, that belief has shaped how he approaches the job, from mentoring recruits at the Training Academy to helping experienced firefighters navigate the challenges of a demanding career.

It is also why Richardson sees the fire service as something bigger than emergency response.

"The service we provide is an illustration of the best of humanity," he said.

Now, as Richardson prepares to become Charlotte Fire's Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration, those convictions remain at the center of his leadership philosophy.

Fire Chief Reginald Johnson pins the Deputy Chief badge on Richardson during the promotion ceremony.

The realization of what the promotion truly meant, however, did not happen in a conference room or after receiving a phone call from Fire Chief Reginald Johnson.

It happened on a beach.

After years of putting work first, Richardson found himself sitting beside his wife in the Dominican Republic with his feet in the sand, enjoying a rare opportunity to slow down.

"As I'm sitting there rubbing my feet in the sand, I'm like, man, this feels really good," Richardson recalled.

The moment gave him something firefighters rarely have enough of: time to reflect.

Not just on his own future, but on the people he has spent nearly three decades serving.

As Richardson prepares for the next chapter of his career, his focus remains unchanged: serving the people of Charlotte Fire and helping others succeed.

Now, after 29 years with Charlotte Fire, Richardson is preparing for the next chapter of his career.

Today, he was promoted from Division Chief of Training to Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration, where he will oversee Training, Recruitment, Health and Safety, and Human Resources.

For Richardson, the promotion is not about a title.

It is about an opportunity to serve.

"The opportunity that it affords to be in service to others is magnified tremendously from my current position in a lot of ways," Richardson said.

Family, friends, retirees and Charlotte Fire personnel gathered to celebrate Richardson's promotion to Deputy Chief.

His new role will place him at the center of many of the programs and services that support Charlotte Fire's more than 1,300 employees.

As Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration, Richardson will help oversee everything from recruitment and training to employee wellness, safety initiatives and human resources.

To Richardson, those responsibilities all point back to one thing: people.

"The personnel administration shop is focused on what an individual needs to be successful on the job, to operate safely, to be prepared," he said. "Then that carries over to being able to provide for a family and just the whole human resources package."

The role expands Richardson's ability to influence the department far beyond the walls of the Training Academy, where he has spent the last several years helping shape future firefighters and develop current members.

It is also a responsibility he approaches with humility.

Richardson says his goal as deputy chief is simple: support Charlotte Fire employees and help ensure they have what they need to succeed.

When Fire Chief Reginald Johnson informed him of the promotion, Richardson said one of his first emotions was gratitude.

"There was a lot of gratitude toward the Fire Chief for the trust that he is about to place into me," Richardson said. "Every time I have gotten promoted, the days leading up to that, there's a keen sense of awareness that comes upon you about the responsibility that you're about to inherit."

Johnson said Richardson's commitment to people has defined his career.

"Jeff Richardson has spent nearly three decades investing in the people of Charlotte Fire," Johnson said. "Whether serving in operations, leading the Training Academy or mentoring future leaders, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to our employees and our mission. His experience, character and dedication to this organization make him exceptionally qualified to lead Personnel Administration and help ensure our members have the support they need to succeed."

Fire Chief Reginald Johnson and Deputy Chief Jeff Richardson following Richardson's promotion ceremony.

Richardson's journey with Charlotte Fire began in 1997 when he entered Recruit Class 51 as a 19-year-old firefighter candidate.

At the time, he could not have imagined the impact the department would have on his life.

What started as a career quickly became something much deeper.

Over the next 29 years, Charlotte Fire would become the place where Richardson found mentors, lifelong friendships and opportunities to grow as a firefighter and leader.

Those experiences continue to shape him today.

"I don't love the fire service as much as I love this fire department," Richardson said. "It's one thing to love the job. It's another thing to have roots in the job."

Richardson joined Charlotte Fire in 1997 as a member of Recruit Class 51 and has spent nearly three decades serving the department.

Those roots have been built through thousands of calls, countless training evolutions and relationships that span nearly three decades.

"If you wanted to gain experience, this was the place to work if you lived in this region, and it still is today," Richardson said.

More importantly, he said, Charlotte Fire introduced him to people who helped shape the person he would become.

"I had no idea the impact that other people, leaders, mentors, fellow firefighters and colleagues would have on who I am today and still have."

The influence of those relationships can be seen in Richardson's leadership philosophy.

Rather than focusing on accomplishments or rank, he talks about trust, mentorship and helping others succeed.

When asked how he hopes firefighters will remember him when his career eventually comes to an end, his answer came quickly.

"Somebody they could trust," he said. "Someone who was an advocate. Someone who honors our past and our retired community but was always looking for a better tomorrow for our members."

Richardson says trust, advocacy and respect for the department's history remain central to his leadership philosophy.

For the past several years, Richardson has served as Division Chief of Training, a position he once described as "the job I always wanted."

Under his leadership, the Charlotte Fire Training Academy expanded its efforts to develop firefighters at every stage of their careers.

The academy continued to grow recruit training programs, provide professional development opportunities and deliver the in-service training required to keep members prepared for an increasingly complex fire service.

Richardson said leading the academy helped prepare him for the broader responsibilities of his new assignment.

"The chief of training position gave me the opportunity to conduct planning and be more strategic in thinking because of some of the challenges that we had to figure out solutions to," he said.

It also gave him the opportunity to work alongside a staff that became one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

When asked what he will miss most about the academy, Richardson's answer came immediately.

"That's easy. The staff."

Richardson said the Training Academy staff helped bring a shared vision for learning and professional growth to life.

"We had a vision, and they brought it to life," he said. "Just as far as how we wanted to approach the training program, how we wanted the culture to be for the recruit training program and then how we wanted the culture to be when uniformed members came to train."

That vision centered on creating an environment where members felt encouraged to learn, improve and challenge themselves.

Richardson believed training should be more than a requirement. It should be an opportunity.

The result was a culture focused on growth and development, one that academy personnel worked tirelessly to build.

Together, Richardson said, they made it happen.

Richardson credits the Training Academy team for helping create a culture focused on learning, growth and professional development.

As he prepares to leave the academy, Richardson said he is equally excited about the opportunity to work alongside the personnel he will now oversee.

"I want the staff at Health and Safety and Recruiting and HR to know how excited I am to have the opportunity to work with them," he said.

He also wants firefighters throughout the organization to know they have someone in Personnel Administration who understands the realities of the job.

"I want the firefighters to know that I'm somebody that can be counted on," he said.

Although interactions between a deputy chief and a firefighter may be limited by the department's chain of command, Richardson believes trust is built through consistency and authenticity.

"I'm optimistic that they will see that in the attributes that I hope people see when my time is done," he said. "I don't know any other way to be but genuine. What you see is what you get."

Richardson hopes employees see a leader who is genuine, approachable and committed to their success.

For Richardson, authenticity has never been a leadership strategy.

It is simply who he is.

Friends, colleagues and firefighters across the organization know him by a nickname that has followed him for years: Sparky.

The nickname is a term of affection and respect, one earned through decades of service, mentorship and genuine relationships.

It reflects the reputation he has built throughout the department — not as someone seeking recognition, but as someone willing to invest in others.

That commitment to people is what ultimately drew him to Personnel Administration.

While the Training Academy allowed him to influence recruits and firefighters during specific points in their careers, the new role provides an opportunity to support employees throughout their entire journey with Charlotte Fire.

Richardson's new role expands his ability to support Charlotte Fire employees from recruitment through retirement.

For a man who has spent nearly three decades serving Charlotte Fire, that opportunity is meaningful.

The office may change.

The responsibilities may grow.

But the mission remains the same.

Service.

It is the same principle that drew a young firefighter into Recruit Class 51 in 1997.

The same principle that guided him through nearly three decades of leadership and mentorship.

And the same principle that will guide him as Charlotte Fire's next Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration.

For Richardson, the future is not about the position he is stepping into.

It is about the people he will have the opportunity to serve.