DETROIT – A national search has begun for a new Executive Fire Commissioner for the Detroit Fire Department as Commissioner Eric Jones departs the position.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said that the fire department is ready for a new direction in leadership. Jones’ last day will be Jan. 14. He has served as fire commissioner since October 2015.
Recommended Videos
“Eric has given more than three decades serving and protecting the citizens of Detroit and I thank him for his service,” Duggan said. “I wish him well.”
Duggan said in the next several days he will interview candidates to serve as interim fire commissioner as his team conducts a national search for a permanent replacement. The interim commissioner will be named by Jones’ last day.
Duggan said he hopes to have a permanent fire commissioner chosen by mid-year.
Jones retired from the Detroit Police Department in 2013 as assistant chief. He was hired by Duggan in 2014 as the director of the Department of Building Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED). A year later he was named Executive Fire Commissioner to replace retiring Edsel Jenkins.
During Jones’ time with the department, they have overhauled its fleet, reduced EMS response time to the national average of 8 minutes and improved the city’s ISO rating for fire preparedness.
Read: More local news coverage