Baltimore County Executive nominates first Black fire chief

Rona Kobell

The Baltimore Banner

September 10, 2024

Joseph W. Dixon had been serving as chief in Gainesville, Florida

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr. on Tuesday nominated a former Florida fire official to serve as chief of the county’s fire department.

Joseph W. Dixon would be the first Black fire chief if appointed. He most recently served as the fire chief in Gainesville, Florida. The Baltimore County Council will consider his nomination in the coming weeks to the post, which pays $250,000 a year.

“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next leader for the Baltimore County Fire Department,” Dixon said in a county press release. “Baltimore County residents deserve an all-hazards response organization that prioritizes safety. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that we can meet the ongoing mission and achieve a collective vision. A vision of a community-centered department known for service excellence.”

A Maryland native, Dixon has more than three decades of firefighting and emergency response experience. He began his career as a firefighter in the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services in 1993. Over 25 years, he has worked as an assistant fire/EMS chief, public information officer, battalion chief, captain and emergency services instructor. He then moved south, serving as fire chief in Goldsboro, North Carolina, before taking the Gainesville job.

Dixon told reporters in Gainesville that missing his family in Maryland prompted him to look north.

“I have a grandbaby,” he told the Independent Florida Alligator, “And I want to throw the football to him.”

Dixon will replace Joanne Rund. She won confirmation in 2019 and retired in July. Since her retirement, Scott Ebbert has served as interim chief.

If confirmed, Dixon will join a department that has had its share of difficulties. The Baltimore County Fire Department had a budget of $121 million in fiscal year 2023 and more than 1,000 employees. It can be unwieldy to run, and management and union officials have clashed in recent years.

A year before she retired, Rund survived a no-confidence vote from Baltimore County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Union Local 1311. Her colleagues, Assistant Chief Jennifer Utz and Deputy Chief Francis DiPaula, were not as fortunate; a wide majority said they had no confidence in either. Union members described a culture of bullying, harassment, micromanagement and lack of adherence to standard procedures.

In addition, County Council President Izzy Patoka has admonished Fire Department officials to exercise better command over their budgeting process. Officials have frequently come before the council to request more funding, due mostly to staffing shortages.

John Hohman, who served as fire chief for about 17 years before retiring in 2017, said Dixon’s biggest job is going to be “determining who is going to be on his team.”

Hohman said the key to his success was his experience in different facets of the department. Before becoming chief, he had been union president; he had also served as a volunteer firefighter and could manage the county’s large volunteer department flank.

Union presidents are elected, so Hohman had to earn the trust of the rank-and-file. He also promoted many of his colleagues in his time there, helping to build trust.