John Coffelt, Editor

Manchester Fire Department’s Roger Chambers moves Oct. 1 from his role as Administrative Captain to Deputy Chief. 

After over 33 years with the department, Roger Chambers was promoted Wednesday, Oct. 1 as the first Deputy Fire Chief in a retooling of Manchester Fire Department. 

“I hope to bring another set of eyes and ears to assist (the chief) in everyday decisions on the path that we need to move forward,” Chambers said.

Formerly an Administrative Captain with MFD, Chambers will serve under Chief George Chambers (no relation).

“With 33 years’ experience he’s done every job in the department from firefighter to driver to captain,” Chief Chambers said. “He will help us guide and manage things within the department …where the rubber meets the road everyday on the operations side.”

“The ultimate goal is to make it better than it is today,” Chambers said. “We have a great department and a lot of great people who do a great job for the citizens of Manchester every day.”

“Our job is to look to the future and get the right tools to make us more efficient at what we do,” Chambers said.

According to Mayor Joey Hobbs, the city received about 16 applicants, only one local.

The new position will come with some additional duties aimed at providing the Chief with extra support from what was provided by past job descriptions.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.