News

City swears in new fire chief

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 5, 2020

The city of Hendersonville has a new fire chief.

D. James Miller was sworn in as chief of the fire department during a regular meeting of the City Council on Thursday night. Active in the fire service since 1991, Miller has served as a Firefighter/EMT and Firefighter/Paramedic with assignments in special operations as a boat captain and rescue diver. He served as a Type 2 Urban Search and Rescue Team Officer, Hazardous Materials Technician, Special Operations Toxicological Paramedic, and Gold Team member of a Division of Forestry Incident Management Team. Previous supervisory and administrative assignments have included the roles of lieutenant, administrative captain, battalion chief and division chief. Prior to joining the Hendersonville Fire Department, Chief Miller served as the assistant chief for training, special operations and EMS at the North Charleston, South Carolina, Fire Department. Hired as deputy chief in August 2016, he has served as interim fire chief since Chief Joe Vindigni resigned last November.

“Chief Miller is a public servant and leader with an extensive and varied history with the fire service,” City Manager John Connet said in a news release. “He has proven to be an effective leader as deputy chief and interim chief during a time of great growth for our fire department. Chief Miller brings a wide range of experience, along with a heart for his team and strength in collaborating with other organizations, that will serve the department and the citizens of the city of Hendersonville well.”

Miller holds an associate of science degree in aviation management from Manatee Community College, a bachelor's of science in business administration from International University and is pursuing an MBA from Columbia Southern University. He serves as a board member for Edneyville Volunteer Fire & Rescue. He and his wife, Morgan, together have six adult children and three dogs. The public is invited to drop in and meet the chief on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Fire Station 2 632 Sugarloaf Road.