Fire Chief Richie Bowers has selected Battalion Chief Rodney V. Colbert for promotion to deputy fire chief, effective Jan. 24. Chief Colbert will be assigned as the Chief Training Officer. Since July of 2011 he has been assigned as a field battalion chief in the Operations Bureau.
Chief Colbert started his career as a recruit firefighter in April 1990, and was initially assigned to Fire and Rescue Station 19, Lorton. Career promotion and subsequent assignments include:
Technician, November 1993; Fire and Rescue Station 5, Franconia; Lieutenant, November 1995; Fire and Rescue Station 9, Mount Vernon; Captain I, May 2003; Fire and Rescue Station 37, Kingstowne; Captain II, Fire and Rescue Station 34, Oakton; Battalion Chief, September 2008; Resource Management, Support Services Division, Business Services Bureau.
As Chief Training Officer, he will be responsible for basic training, field training, emergency medical services training, and all volunteer training. More than 1,700 volunteer and career personnel train at the Training Academy continuously. He also supports and advises Explorer Post 1949.
Chief Colbert will complete his bachelor’s degree in Fire Service Administration, from the University of Maryland, University College, in the spring of 2015. He is also a graduate of the Paramedic Program, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Fairfax County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, Local 2068, Progressive Firefighters of Fairfax County, Inc., and the Fairfax County Professional Fire & Rescue Officers Association.