Terry Johnson was sworn-in as Essex County’s Chief of Emergency Services by Essex Sheriff W.A. “Arnie” during the April business meeting of the Essex Board of Supervisors. Front (from left), Deputy Chief Kyle Durham, Board of Supervisors Chairman Rob Akers, Chief Johnson, Sheriff Holmes. Back (from left), Supervisors Sidney Johnson. Edwin “Bud” Smith, Ronnie Gill, John Magruder.
Terry Johnson is Essex County’s new chief of emergency services.
Johnson, 56, was swornin two weeks ago to the position which oversees first responder organizations such as the volunteer fire department and the EMS ambulance service.
He comes to Essex following a stint as fire chief of South Sioux, Nebraska.
A native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Johnson grew up in Crisfield, Maryland and joined the U.S. Army ten days following his 1985 high school graduation.
“I spent 9 ½ years in the Army, going about everywhere,” said Johnson, whose service included time during Desert Storm.
Following his time in the Army, worked in North Carolina before departing for the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.
He and his wife, Roxanne, later moved to the Midwest where he served as fire chief/EMS director in Junction City, Kansas before departing for the same role in South Sioux, Nebraska.
“I wanted to come back to the East Coast,” Terry said. “I had a strong desire to get back closer to family and especially my grandchildren. This opportunity came up and I’m looking forward to serving here.”
In his role here, Johnson says he desires to work with the community in areas such as prevention, mitigation, and preparation.
“It’s a chance to take everything I’ve learned over the years and give a great service to the community,” he said. “I believe I can take his leadership role and build on it. I’m confident we can build on the current program and make the community safe.
Johnson says he is impressed with the fire/EMS service here.
“They’re very professional, direct and customer service oriented,” he observed. “It’s everything you’d want in your department. Taking it to the next level is going to be fun and a privilege.”
He says a key in improving upon the current system is determining the community’s needs and what it is willing to provide for the system to continue to be successful.
“We have a great fire department, but they are facing the same problem every agency in the country is facing,” Johnson said. “They’re facing a shortage of volunteers and they are the lifeblood of the fire service and what we do in rescue. We need people willing to commit to that lifestyle, learn, be the professionals we need, and be there when they are needed.”
Johnson noted that volunteerism has been trending downward.
“Gone are the days when people would drop everything (to volunteer),” he said.
Johnson says a key is attracting young people to fill roles that have been filled by veteran volunteers.
“We need to bring that next generation along and get them to provide service to the community because there’s no better feeling than helping someone,” he said. “Hopefully, we can come up with ideas and programs to do that.”
Moreover, Johnson mentioned that continuing training is another aspect that is important in providing services.
“Training never ends, because there’s always something new to learn,” he stated.
Johnson comes from a family of firefighters. His father was a fire chief.
“Someone in your family is going to be in the fire service if your mom or dad was,” he remarked. “When I got out of the military I was looking to continue my service and the fire service fit me. I fell in love with it and 30 years later I’m a chief officer which is the pinnacle of your career. I want to pass on knowledge, capabilities, and experiences to make sure we keep our community safe.”
Johnson noted that his role here is multi-faceted including coordinator of emergency services and emergency management.
“I believe in servant leadership, so the position falls under providing the services to the responders,” he said. “That is getting the resources and materials needed to solve a problem. We need to work with our partners and stakeholders in the community to mitigate and prepare for those events. So, there’s a lot that’s going to be happening here over the next several years.”
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