Mayor Brandon Scott made moves towards addressing another key vacancy by nominating James Wallace as fire chief of Baltimore City Fire Department on Wednesday morning.
Wallace has served for 33 years in the Baltimore City Fire Department and has also led the Office of Emergency Management since 2020. Wallace, 54, would still need to be confirmed by the Baltimore City Council before he officially becomes fire chief.
That position has been held by Dante Stewart, Assistant Chief of Operations, since Chief Niles Ford resigned in December of 2022 following a blistering 311 page report that detailed deficiencies in training, communication and a failure to abide by past recommendations related to other close calls and deaths in the line of duty. It also outlined difficulties the department had in controlling a January 2022 fire on Stricker Street that killed three firefighters when the building collapsed.
“I want to ensure the residents of Baltimore that I am committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and thriving department that includes top notch public safety professionals,” Wallace told the press on Wednesday.
Wallace will have to contend with a department marked by staffing shortages and an aging fleet of fire trucks. The Baltimore City Council appropriated another $3 million for the department to maintain and procure additional equipment for its fleet as part of the 2024 fiscal budget in June — that decision came after the department told lawmakers they had 30% fewer fire engines than they needed to adequately cover Baltimore City when residents called 911. In that same December hearing, fire union leaders said that five out of 17 fire truck companies were out of service due to multiple trucks needing repair and a lack of back-ups. In May, department leaders reported a 16% vacancy among emergency medical service positions which means that at times there are 100 people working overtime.
Mayor Scott, a Democrat who is up for re-election in 2024, has had to grapple with high turnover in key executive leadership positions. With Wallace’s nomination, he has made another choice to hire internally. Last month, with the sudden departure of police commissioner Michael Harrison, Scott announced that he would nominate a deputy commissioner and Baltimore native Richard Worley to the job with the hopes of making him the next full-time commissioner. Worley has a hearing with the city council’s public safety committee on August 15th.
“We've gotten to a point where we are always looking for other places to come and save us, when we have people who have dedicated their lives to this city,” said Mayor Scott during Wallace’s nomination. Wallace does not currently live in Baltimore City but will have to move and become a resident, as per the city’s charter, if he is confirmed to the fire chief position.
