Mayor Buddy Dyer Appoints New Fire Chief

On Monday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the medical retirement of Fire Chief Jim Reynolds after 25 years of service at the City of Orlando. Mayor Dyer has appointed John Miller, a 22-year Orlando Fire Department veteran, to succeed Reynolds as the new Chief of the Orlando Fire Department.

“Chief Jim Reynolds, a third generation firefighter, has a long and outstanding history with our fire department,” said Mayor Dyer. “He has provided strong leadership over the past three years as Fire Chief, leading the department to the top 1/10th of 1 percent of all fire departments in the nation with an ISO rating of 1.”

Effective Monday, Assistant Chief John Miller was appointed by Mayor Dyer as Fire Chief to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and provide counsel to the Mayor in matters of public safety and the maintenance of City fire protection.

During his 22-year tenure with OFD, Miller has managed every division including Field Operations, Fire Safety Management, Communications, Training, Supply, Public Relations and EMS. Most recently, Miller was an integral part of OFD’s administration during a period of tremendous growth including the construction of six new fire stations, the first LEED-certified stations in Florida and the new state-of-the-art headquarters in Downtown Orlando.

“Chief Miller takes the reins during a challenging budget time, but I am confident that under Chief Miller’s strong leadership ability the Orlando Fire Department will continue to develop innovative approaches to meet the growing and changing needs of our City,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Having spent the majority of his career with OFD, he understands the high level of service expected by Orlando’s residents.”

The appointment of Chief Miller will go before the Orlando City Council on February 22, 2010 for confirmation.