Scott nominates James Wallace for Baltimore's next fire chief

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Wednesday nominated James Wallace to be the city's next fire chief. 

Currently the Acting Director of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, Wallace has served over 30 years with the Baltimore City Fire Department, Scott said. 

The nomination for Wallace will be brought before the Baltimore City Council on August 21.

"I will continue to excel in the mission of the Baltimore City Fire Department, pride in protecting people while providing exceptional service throughout all of our communities," Wallace said.

Wallace has served in nearly every leadership position within the department, Scott said, including as a battalion commander. 

"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 said.

He was previously a paramedic in Baltimore before joining the fire department as a firefighter-paramedic, Scott said. 

"I know that Chief Wallace is perfectly suited to confront the very real challenges facing the dedicated members of the Baltimore Fire Department, and will meet those challenges head-on," Mayor Scott said.

Wallace will inherit a department that is facing a severe staffing shortage which is worsening call response times by nine minutes, and some that data shows is only happening 52 percent of the time, which is way short of the 90 percent goal.

The department has been without a chief since early last December, when Niles Ford resigned after the release of a report related to the January 2022 deaths of three firefighters. He was chief for eight years. 

Assistant Chief of Operations Dante Stewart has served as acting fire chief since Ford's resignation. The mayor's office initially said said three commanders would take turns as chief while the city searched for Ford's successor.   

Among the dozens of findings in the 314-page report were flags for deficiencies in certain training, lapses in communication and difficulties in controlling the scene after the collapse that killed the firefighters.

Related: Battalion Technician added to Baltimore fire department after release of Stricker Street fire report

The report, released by a board composed of firefighters from Baltimore and surrounding districts, also found evidence of a "competitive culture" within the department in its interviews with members. It also found that some members of the department did not feel comfortable or empowered to speak up on accountability issues with senior members.  

"We will continue to move forward," Wallace said. "We will work not only with the command staff that you see here, but members of the departments, unions, we will all work together to continue to build upon what's already been done."