City of Jackson Fire Chief Maxie Stewart retires Friday, Aug. 31, after 36 years as a firefighter. Before he was named Jackson’s fire chief in 2012, he climbed the ranks of the department as a driver, captain and battalion chief.

“I wish Chief Stewart the very best in retirement,” said Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist. “I am very appreciative of his service to me and City of Jackson residents over these past years.”

Chief Maxie Stewart

Gist appointed Fire Department Veteran Darryl W. Samuels Sr. as interim chief, leaving the hiring of a permanent fire chief to Jackson’s new mayor next year.

“With only 10 months remaining in my term as mayor, I do not feel, from an ethical standpoint, that I should name a permanent chief,” Gist said. “That responsibility should lie with the newly elected mayor after he or she takes office July 1, 2019.”

Darryl Samuels, Sr.

Samuels, who joined the Jackson Fire Department in 1975, served on the operations side of the fire department for more than 19 years. He retired in 2002 as director of the city’s Central Dispatch. He was rehired in 2009 as a consultant for the Fire Department and Central Dispatch.

Samuels, who assumes the interim fire chief position Sept. 1., has certifications with the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) and Public Safety Telecommunicators (PST). He has been an APCO PST instructor. He is past board chair of the Madison County Emergency Communications District and has held memberships with APCO, Tennessee Emergency Numbers Association (TENA), and National Emergency Numbers Association (NENA).

“I am very pleased that Samuels, with his credentials, has agreed to step in as interim fire chief,” Gist said.

“I am honored with the Mayor’s confidence in my ability to lead the Jackson Fire Department,” Samuels said. “The department is filled with dedicated firefighters and excellent safety and training personnel who put the safety of the Jackson community first every day.”