Columbia’s Aubrey Jenkins tapped to lead statewide fire chiefs’ organization
For more than four decades, Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins has been fighting fires in the Capital City. Now he’s set to lead a statewide firefighting organization.
Jenkins has been elected by his peers to be the president of the South Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs. He recently was sworn-in for the year-long term. He is the first African American president of the state chiefs’ association, which provides information, education and advocacy for volunteer and career fire chiefs across the Palmetto State.
Jenkins has worked for the Columbia Fire Department since 1979, and he has been the chief for the last decade. He is the eighth chief in the history of Columbia’s department. The department currently has more 600 firefighters, between career personnel in the city and volunteers in the unincorporated areas of Richland County.
“I’m very honored that my peers in the chiefs’ world have the confidence in me to allow me to be in this position,” Jenkins told The State of the chiefs’ association presidency.
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said Jenkins’ recent appointment is a notable moment for the Capital City, and for Jenkins.
“I’m incredibly proud of Chief Jenkins and this history-making election by his peers,” Benjamin said. “He is a true servant leader and the people of Columbia have been blessed to have him for the last four decades.”
Jenkins, 62, was sworn-in for his presidency role on Saturday by Gov. Henry McMaster, who wished the longtime chief luck in a Tuesday morning Twitter post.
Looking forward to the next year, Jenkins said he hopes to work with the other fire chiefs across South Carolina to enhance all levels of firefighting across the state.
“One thing I want to do in my term this year is develop leadership within the fire service, giving them some opportunities,” Jenkins said. “We work with both paid and volunteer (fire services). We want to ensure that we have a robust fire service across South Carolina.”
The role of the fire department has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year, as firefighters have been among those on the front lines tasked with working with the public everyday as the virus rages on. Fire marshals in Columbia also have been called upon to issue citations for the city’s mask ordinance, which was adopted in June and subsequently amended a number of times, as a way of helping slow the spread of the coronavirus.
As medical first responders, firefighters in Columbia have begun receiving their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Jenkins recently received his first dose.
“I think the pandemic has given us an even wider unknown as to what we are going to find when we get (to an incident scene),” Jenkins said. “As for the vaccine, people kept asking me, ‘Are you going to get it?’ The position that I took is that, if I’m asking my firefighters to get it, then I should get it, as well.”
Though he’s put in 42 years on the job in Columbia, it doesn’t look like retirement is yet on the near horizon for Jenkins.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing,” Jenkins said. “To me it’s really an honor to serve the community in this role, not only as the fire chief, but as a firefighter, in general. I’m still enjoying what I’m doing.”
