Avula admin taps Segal as Richmond’s permanent fire chief
The mood was already celebratory off Richmond Highway Monday morning as city officials attended the grand opening of the newly replaced Fire Station 21.
When the Fire Department’s other big news of the day was announced, a roar went through the building filled with firefighters and Southside residents.
At the event, officials announced current interim Fire Chief Jeffrey Segal has been chosen to lead the department on a permanent basis effective Nov. 29.
“We’re not just investing in facilities. We’re also focused on investing in both the people and the process that keep Richmonders safe,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. “At the center of that has been Chief Segal.”
Segal has been leading the Fire Department on a temporary basis for nearly a year following the departure of former Chief Melvin Carter at the end of former Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration.
Before joining Richmond Fire in 2020, Segal had a lengthy career with the Baltimore City Fire Department. A native of the Baltimore area, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University in management science.
During his own remarks at the fire station opening, Segal pointed to a variety of new features such as an upgraded wellness facility, a decontamination room meant to minimize cancer risks and more private living spaces to better accommodate the increasingly diverse firefighting workforce.
He also noted the station has a community room meant to be used as an asset for the public.
“This is your fire station,” Segal said to the residents in attendance. “Each time you visit, each time you drive by, each time you see an apparatus go out the door, make sure you understand this is a symbol of our commitment as the Richmond Fire Department to protect and serve with a spirit of excellence.”
Several speakers at Monday’s event gave Stoney credit for having a hand in the roughly $16.4 million project even though he was out of office by the time it was completed. The groundbreaking for the fire station took place in early 2024.
Councilwoman Reva Trammell (8th District) said she spent a long time “fussing” over the living conditions at the former fire station and was glad other city officials worked with her to address it.
“I know that previous Mayor Levar Stoney would’ve liked to have been here today to see this finally come true. Our dreams. Our dreams,” Trammell said.
There was also acknowledgement Monday that there’s still room for improvement in how the city operates.
A former fire official was recently discovered to have spent at least $839,000 on purchase orders from a company registered to his own house, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Donald announced the administration has put new procurement and purchasing policies in place for the Fire Department, as well as a new “anti-corruption” policy.
The CAO also said that an aide in his own office, Jeff Gray, would be moving to the Fire Department as its first-ever senior business officer. That role, Donald said, will focus on “administrative functions that ensure transparency as well as ethical alignment.”
Mayor Danny Avula called the station’s opening a symbol of the city’s efforts to improve its infrastructure.
“Today’s opening of this fire station is a symbol of that commitment,” Avula said. “A structured, ongoing cycle of investment that gives our first responders the modern tools that they need to protect our community every single day.”
Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org
