The Hendersonville Fire Department formally recognized the retirement of Chief D. James Miller and the promotion of Deputy Chief Justin Ward at the City Council meeting held on February 5, 2026. During the meeting, Chief Miller was recognized for his 35 years in the fire service, with the past decade in service to the Hendersonville community.
“I have been blessed to be here, and I have been blessed to work for the citizens and visitors,” said Chief Miller as he addressed the City Council. “I’m very thankful to each and every one of you. The kudos ought to go to the men and women in our department that make it look easy.”
Since 1991, Chief Miller served in a variety of positions in the fire service including Firefighter, EMT, Paramedic, Lieutenant, Administrative Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Chief, with specializations as a Type 2 Urban Search and Rescue Team Officer, Hazardous Materials Technician, Special Operations Toxicological Paramedic, and Gold Team member of a Division of Forestry Incident Management Team…