Fox named new Tuscumbia fire chief

The Tuscumbia Fire Department officially has its new chief.

Former assistant chief John Tyler (J.T.) Fox was promoted to fire chief at the Feb. 3 meeting of the Tuscumbia City Council.

“As mayor of the city of Tuscumbia, it gives me great pleasure to appoint you as the new fire chief of the Tuscumbia Fire Department,” Mayor William Foster read as part of a statement. “Your skills and experience as assistant fire chief match our requirements for this position. I look forward to our continued working relationship for the betterment of the City of Tuscumbia.”

Fox will be sworn in to the position during the Council’s next meeting on Feb. 17.

“He has done a lot since he has been assistant,” Foster said. “I look forward to him carrying on the tradition and keeping our fire department rolling.”

Fox has been a member of Tuscumbia Fire Department for 13 years. He started as a volunteer before becoming a part-time member and later a full-time firefighter in 2014.

Fox said being a firefighter is in his blood.

“My grandfather was a firefighter for Muscle Shoals for about 30 years, and I grew up in it,” he said. “Around 18 I got into a volunteer department, and it really stuck then. I knew then and there I wanted to make a career out of it.”

Former Tuscumbia Fire Chief David Pate officially retired on Nov. 1 of last year, and Fox said his mentor readied him to be the successor of the position.

“He showed me all the ropes and made me into the leader I am today,” Fox said. “I’m still learning and still figuring out the new and improved ways in this new generation. He taught me all the old school ways, so now I’m melding the old and the new together.”

Fox said being named Tuscumbia fire chief is an honor. He said the job is a stressful one, but one he’s willing and ready to do.

“We’ve got some new state-of-the-art equipment, and there’s always new techniques and new equipment being developed,” he said. “I want to see us come together as a city and get our hands on all this new equipment that makes our jobs easier and our citizens safer. I want us to move forward into the future overall as a community.”