COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — The first Black full-time fire chief of a city in north Mississippi is retiring from the job he says he always aspired to have.
Martin Andrews worked 35 years for Columbus Fire and Rescue, the last eight of those as chief. Monday was his final day on the job.
“I always wanted to be a firefighter,” Andrews told WCBI-TV. “One of my main goals was to be the chief. I only wanted to be the chief in Columbus, Mississippi.”
After joining the fire department in 1987, he became the city’s first Black full-time fire chief when he was appointed in 2014.
“That means the world to me,” Andrews said. “It just shows that, in fire service … no matter who you are, it is all about what you can do to make your community better.”
Columbus currently has a population about 24,000. About 62% of its residents are Black and 34% white, according to the Census Bureau.
Assistant Fire Chief Duane Hughes becomes interim fire chief. He joined the fire department in 1995 and said Andrews is the same now as he was then.
“He always had a servant mentality," Hughes said.
During his tenure, Andrews helped the department obtain grants to buy five fire trucks at no cost to the city. Columbus improved its fire rating during his time as chief, which helps with insurance rates. Andrews oversaw the construction of a new fire station and has steered the department through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s still hard to think that he won’t be here tomorrow,” Mayor Keith Gaskin said. “But I know that he’s prepared this department very well and we’ve been very fortunate to have him.”
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