John A. Nelson Promoted to Deputy Chief

On Wednesday, January 17, 2018, Senior Deputy Fire Marshal John A. Nelson was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal. Deputy Chief Nelson, started his career with the Office of the State Fire Marshal in 2004. Nelson has been assigned to the Southern Regional Office since being hired. In 2008 he was accepted into the Agencies K9 Unit and successfully completed the ATF Accelerant Detection Canine Program with his partner, the late K9 Charlie. After K9 Charlie's retirement in 2016, Nelson had the opportunity to continue his his K9 career with another ATF canine, K9 Zorro. In 2010, Nelson was honored with the Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year, now the James C. Robertson, Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year Award. Deputy Chief Nelson will now command the Southern Regional Office. Nelson's promotion to Deputy Chief has been well deserved and we wish him all the luck in his new position and future career development.