City of Spartanburg's new fire chief wants to retain and recruit 'service-minded' folks

The City of Spartanburg has hired a new fire chief, one with local ties, according to city officials.

The new chief, Pierre Brewton, replaces chief Marion Blackwell, who retired in August after over 12 years with the fire department. Brewton's first day will be March 18, city spokesperson Christopher George told the Herald-Journal Monday.

The department has been managed by interim Chief Steve Kovalcik, the former fire chief for the City of Greenville, since Blackwell's retirement, George said.

Although a Spartanburg native, Brewton most recently served the city of Albemarle, North Carolina, where he was the fire chief for four years. Albemarle is located east of Charlotte, with a population about half the size of Spartanburg's.

According to a Feb. 23 news release on the city's website, Brewton began his career with the City of Spartanburg in the public works department in 1988, before moving to the fire department in 1994. He would eventually serve as assistant fire chief.

Brewton was raised in the Highlands neighborhood and graduated from Spartanburg School District 7, Limestone University, and Spartanburg Community College.

Brewton is credentialed through the Center for Public Safety Excellence as a chief fire officer and chief training officer, according to the release, and is a graduate of Texas A&M’s fire service chief executive fire officer program and the International Association of Fire Chiefs fire service executive development institute.

The selection process was conducted by former fire and public safety officials from around the Carolinas and Georgia. Brewton was chosen out of "dozens" of qualified candidates, the city's website says.

"I am honored and excited to lead the Spartanburg Fire Department, a department renowned for its professionalism, dedication, and the high level of training of its team members," Brewton said via the city's release. "My top priority will be retaining the talented men and women of the department, who are among the most professional in the Southeast, and recruiting other service-minded folks to join them."

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg's new fire chief Pierre Brewton has community ties