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Aubrey D. Jenkins

Fire Chief

Aubrey D. Jenkins began his duties as the fire chief of the Columbia-Richland Fire Department on July 20, 2011, serving as the first African American appointed to this position. Additionally, he has served as the first African American to be elected as the president of the South Carolina State Association of Fire Chiefs.

The Columbia-Richland Fire Department serves Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, as well as a 660-square-mile area of Richland County. Prior to serving as fire chief, Chief Jenkins worked his way up through the ranks of our department serving as a firefighter from 1979 to 1982, a relief fire equipment operator from 1982 to 1984, a fire equipment operator from 1984 to 1988, a captain from 1988 to 1993, a battalion chief from 1993 to 2005, and deputy chief from 2005 to 2011. He currently leads around 600 employees of CRFD serving out of 32 fire stations, which includes our volunteer firefighters. Of these 32 stations, 14 are considered “volunteer stations” as they are staffed predominantly by volunteer firefighters.

Chief Jenkins is a graduate of Eau Claire High School and the South Carolina Executive Institute and he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia Southern University in Fire Science.  He is also the co-chairman of the City of Columbia Grievance Committee and is certified as an emergency medical responder (EMR) instructor, a South Carolina Fire Academy instructor, and an American Red Cross first aid instructor.

As the fire chief, Chief Jenkins has received a variety of honors and awards. He was an inductee to the Columbia Housing Authority’s Wall of Fame.  He was also made the honorary chairman for the 2015 Walk Like MADD event organized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  He received the Volunteer of the Year Award, Citizen of the Year Award, and Recognition Award for his participation in after-school programs to teach first aid and mentor youth in the Columbia area.

His additional honors include being named Columbia Firefighter of the Year, City of Columbia Employee of the Month, and being presented with a Life Saver Award from the City of Columbia for rescuing a baby from a burning structure.  In 2007 he was a recipient of the Columbia Urban League’s Lincoln C. Jenkins Jr. Award and he received a Certificate of Recognition for extraordinary personal action.  Among his most significant accomplishments was achieving a class 1 ISO rating for CRFD, which is the highest rating for local fire protection efforts based on ISO’s fire suppression rating schedule.  He is the first and only fire chief in the history of the Columbia-Richland Fire Department to achieve this milestone.

Chief Jenkins is a member of the Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ where he serves as a deacon and past chairman of the brotherhood department.  He is married to Vernell Trapp Jenkins and they have two adult sons, Emanuel and Sheldon.

Shenique Smith

Executive Assistant