Assistant Chief/ Fire Marshal George N. Adams Jr.
The Office of Fire prevention provides oversight of Fire Inspections, fire investigations, internal affairs investigations, permit administration, plan review (new construction and existing construction) special event staffing, lock box key assignments, public fire education, strategic planning, false alarm abatement, monthly and annual statistical reports.
Chief Adams is a twenty-eight-year veteran of the Columbia-Richland Fire Department. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from South Carolina State University in Political Sciences, and obtain his master’s degree from Webster University School of Business and Technology in Management.
Chief Adams certifications and professional affiliations include National Fire Protection Administration (NFPA); International Code Council (ICC), Fire Inspector I, South Carolina State Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Arson Investigators, South Carolina Fire Marshal Associations, Fire Life Safety Educator, and many more.
Prior to his appointment as Chief Fire Marshal, Chief Adams served as an Assistant Fire Marshal overseeing the plan review section and was appointed as Quality of Life Inspector for the City Homeland Security Department. He also served as a Deputy Fire Marshal and a Fire Fighter. Chief Adams became a Deputy Fire Marshal 1996, making him the youngest person to ever hold that position in the Columbia-Richland Fire Department. One of his most significant accomplishment includes scoring 5.46 points out of 5.5 points in community risk reduction for local fire protection efforts based on ISO’s fire suppression rating schedule. This was the highest score in the state of South Carolina and it contributed to achieving a class 1 ISO rating for the Columbia- Richland Fire Department.
Chief Adams is native of Columbia, South Carolina, and a proud graduate of Eau Claire High School. He is also a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Omicron Phi Chapter where he has served on the executive board as the reporter; and as the housing chairman and was voted Omega Man of the Year in 2007.
His motto in life is, “Feed your faith and uncertainty will starve.”