Starkville Fire Chief Rodger Mann will conclude his almost 33-year career with the city by retiring Feb. 22, he announced Tuesday.
Mann previously hinted at his retirement during an executive session discussion with aldermen in October and recently completed an overhaul of the department’s promotion and tenure policy.
He pledged to work with the city during the transition phase.
The outgoing chief joined SFD as a volunteer in 1980 and was promoted to a full-time firefighter two years later. Working his way through the ranks, he was promoted to fire inspector in 1993, assigned as fire marshal supervisor in 2003 and served as interim chief in 2007.
Mann’s interim title was made permanent in 2008.
When he joined in the 1980s, Mann said Starkville had a Class 7 fire rating and a 24-person department. The department has now grown to more than 60 employees, and the city’s Class 4 fire rating is nearing a Class 3 designation.
“During this time, I’ve been a part of some of the worst fires in our city’s history,” Mann said. “I was involved in the most tragic fire in our city’s history. However, I’ve been a part of many good things: the city’s growth, growing relations with Mississippi State University, new and better fire codes and many others.
“I can remember when five major working fires were common in a week. Now, we have maybe fire working fires in a year,” he added. “The codes are working, and your department is much better and much stronger. That’s not what I did; that’s what we did. That’s what we, as a department with the city, did in my 32 and a half years.”
Mann thanked his bosses – the mayor and board of aldermen – for working closely with him to do what was necessary to improve his department. He also singled out former Mayor Dan Camp, former Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill and Mayor Parker Wiseman as three of the most demanding, yet supportive administrators he worked for in his career.
“I can only say that, without a doubt, you’re the easiest person I’ve ever worked with, and that’s all a department head can ask,” he said to Wiseman.
Mann received a standing ovation from the board and meeting attendees.
“True to form, that was all class. You’ve always been all class,” Wiseman said. “We have, over the last five and a half years, experienced some extraordinary highs and extraordinary lows. Through it all, the thing that sticks out the most about you is your temperament and the way you conduct yourself. You’re an honest man. There’s no flash; there’s nothing beyond the truth and true professional competence to you.”
Mann’s retirement marks the fourth major city departure since the current board of aldermen took over in July 2013.
In their first meeting this term, aldermen forced out Spruill, who joined the city during the Camp administration. Former Community Development Director William Snowden resigned his post due to health reasons that same year, and former Starkville Police Chief David Lindley announced his retirement after he was placed on administrative leave.
Aldermen looked internally and filled the openings with promotions: Taylor Adams moved from city clerk to CAO; Lesa Hardin, a deputy clerk, assumed Adams’ role; then-Capt. Frank Nichols was tapped as the city’s first African-American police chief; and Buddy Sanders, who was hired as Starkville’s city planner, was promoted to community development director.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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