A longtime Fayetteville firefighter will serve as interim fire department chief after the retirement of Fayetteville Fire Chief Ben Major.
Deputy Chief Mike Hill, who has 31 years of experience in the fire/emergency services field, has been appointed interim chief of the Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department.
Major, who is retiring with 35 years of service, will serve his last day on Thursday.
Hill has served the Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department for more than 25 years, starting as a firefighter in 1993 and later becoming a lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and deputy chief. He has served as a deputy chief since 2010.
Hill began his career following a junior high school job shadowing program in 1987 with a Fayetteville Fire Department Battalion Chief. He started with the Wade Community Fire Department, where he has been chief since 2004.
The appointment of the next fire chief is expected to take several months as staff continues recruitment efforts for the position, a city press release stated.
Major was hired as a firefighter with the City of Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department in February 1984 after completing undergraduate studies at Pembroke State University. He went on to complete a Master’s in Public Administration at UNCP. Major previously served as an Assistant Fire Marshal, the Training Officer, as the Hazardous Materials Team Coordinator and Assistant Chief before becoming Chief in October 2011.
The Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department consists of a total of 332 personnel.
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