Black Mountain hires John Coffey to fill fire chief vacancy

Former interim chief steps into permanent role

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 28, 2022

John Coffey, who has served as interim chief of the Black Mountain Fire Department since April, will permanently fill the role. Photo by Fred McCormick

A three-month search to fill Black Mountain’s vacant fire chief position ended, July 27, as the town announced John Coffey will lead the department. 

The former interim chief, who joined the Black Mountain Fire Department as a deputy chief in March, was selected to permanently fill the role. 

A native of Buncombe County with more than 20 years of experience in emergency and fire services, Coffey was among 15 candidates who applied for the position, which was vacated by the departure of previous chief, Scottie Harris. Coffey, whose 18 years of service with the Riceville Fire Department included three years as chief, stepped into the interim role in Black Mountain when Harris moved to Wake County to be closer to his family.

The search for a new fire chief began in April, when the position was posted on various platforms, including the websites of the N.C. Association of Fire Chiefs and the N.C. League of Municipalities, according to Town Manager Josh Harrold.

“We had the post up for about a month, and I narrowed a list of 15 applicants down to 10,” Harrold said of the process. “Each of those 10 people received a lengthy questionnaire, focusing on their understanding of the job, professional experience, education backgrounds, and how they could incorporate those elements into their responses.”

Seven returned the questionnaires, which were reviewed and scored by the town manager. A panel that consisted of Harrold, his leadership team and Buncombe County Public Safety Training Facility Manager and former Skyland Fire Chief Ryan Cole, conducted the final in-person interviews.

“I ended up with four people I wanted to interview, but one of them dropped out, so we actually interviewed three,” Harrold said.

Coffey’s previous experience as a fire chief was among several factors that influenced the panel’s decision to offer him the BMFD position, according to the town manager.

“He was also already an employee of the town, and had started building strong relationships with the employees in our fire department,” Harrold said. “I had quite a bit of feedback from our employees that he was well-liked and that they were impressed with his work as deputy chief, and in the interim role.”

His approachable demeanor and personality were also a good fit for the Black Mountain department, the town manager added.

“He’s easy to talk to, and he’s a people person, which is something that sold me on him,” Harrold said. “He’s also big on teamwork, which is incredibly important to me."

The relationships the new chief has already built within the department played a significant role in his decision to seek the position, according to Coffey.

“I wasn’t necessarily interested in pursuing the chief position when I came in,” he said. “But, the staff here encouraged me to apply. Having people here rooting for me really helped me make that decision.”

Coffey credited the work of his predecessor for allowing a smooth transition into the interim chief role.

“I was impressed with Chief Harris from the start,” he said. “This was already a great department when he came in, and Black Mountain has always been a well-respected department in Buncombe County, but Chief Harris really helped progress it into what a modern department should be.”

The trajectory of the department under the previous chief was one of the primary reasons Coffey was interested in joining as deputy chief.

“I was handed a station with little-to-no problems at all, which has been refreshing,” he said.

In an effort to gain insight into the current state of the department, Coffey interviewed the entire staff when he assumed the role of interim chief. The process also allowed him to establish an open dialogue with his employees.

“Communication is a big thing for me, so I try to keep everyone informed about everything,” Coffey said. “The more everyone communicates, the smoother things run.”

Since his arrival in March, Coffey has conducted a threat and hazard identification and risk assessment (THIRA) within the fire district, helping shape his understanding of potential issues in the community. Preparing for those will be among his early priorities as chief.

“Right now our major identifiable hazards are more natural, like the flooding and snow storms that we get up here every year,” he said. “Recently, hurricane events have become more common, and these are things we’re planning for. We also have some industrial hazards in the district, and these are things we can look at to beef up public education and fire prevention.”

His long-term vision will focus on infrastructure and staffing.

“It’s all about safety for me,” Coffey said. “The safety of our community and firefighters has always been our top priority, and that is something that will definitely continue.”