Chatham Emergency Services Chief James Vickers recently received his Chief Fire Officer designation through the Center of Public Safety Excellence. Chief Vickers is one of only 1279 worldwide who hold this designation. The CPC website states their credentialing is a professional designation model that recognizes career excellence and offers strategies for continuous personal improvement. The Chief Fire Officer designation is open to chief officers who are serving at or above the level of battalion chief.

Chief Vickers has more than 30 years of experience in Public Safety including emergency response, planning, development, fire suppression, emergency medical services, community risk reduction programs, emergency management, marine vessel response (fireboat), technical rescue, hazardous materials, and industrial and marine firefighting. He also has extensive experience in general and specialized public safety training, education and curriculum development. 

“Chief Vickers is one of the most educated emergency professionals in the state of Georgia,” said CEO Chuck Kearns. “Chatham Emergency Services is very proud to have his caliber of skill and leadership as part of our team.”

Chief Vickers holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Emergency Services Management from Columbia Southern University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership and Organizational Management.  He maintains numerous state, international and POST Instructor level certifications including being a licensed paramedic and a Georgia Certified Emergency Manager.  He is a Proctor with the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, a Basic Firefighter Program Instructor at Savannah Technical College, and an instructor for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) for specific courses related to their Incident Management Team.