Since
its "official" organization in 1922, the Tryon Fire Department
has been directed by 27 different fire chiefs. From 1922 until
1988 the department held elections, typically every 2 years to
determine a new chief. Until 1979 the department had a
tradition of promoting the assistant fire chief and other
officers (captain, lieutenant) up one step. This tradition
changed in 1979 when the department elected Clarence Scoggins to
his second tenure as Chief. Having already served 2 years as
chief in the 1960's, Scoggins would lead the department until
his retirement in 1988. His eleven years as Chief are the most
of any person - paid or volunteer. Scoggins would also lead
Polk County as its first fire marshal, and the annual Tryon FD's
Firefighter of the Year would later be renamed in his honor.
Both Scoggins and his wife would pay for the prestigious award
themselves each year until both passed away.
The
department has also had a father/son combination lead the
department. Robert Carroll Scoggins, Sr. was elected Chief in
1971 and served until 1973. His son, Robert C. Scoggins, Jr.
(Bob) would take the reigns some 30 years later and lead the
department from 2003 until 2005.
In 1972 Jimmy
Lankford joined the Tryon Fire Department as a volunteer and
worked his way up to Assistant Chief. In 1988 the Town of Tryon
opted to move the Chief position to a paid position and named
Lankford as the first paid chief. Lankford would serve until
his retirement in 2003. At that time the Town and department
opted to return to a volunteer position and Bob Scoggins, who
had served as Assistant Fire Chief was elected to the position
his father had taken in 1971.
After much
discussion, dissent, and debate, the Town again decided in 2005
to move the position of Fire Chief back to a paid position. The
Town, and township, had sustained much growth and the increased
amount of fire calls, EMS responses, and mandated paperwork were
critical factors in the Town Council's decision to hire a full
time Chief. After conducting interviews the Town announced that
Michael Coggins, from Asheville Fire Department, had been
selected as Fire Chief. Coggins began his tenure in the summer
of 2005 and would serve until the following October when he
opted to return to Asheville. The interview process in the fall
of 2006 came down to three finalists and Chris Burelson, an
assistant chief at Enka-Candler Fire Department was chosen as
Tryon's 26th fire chief. In April 2007 Chief Burleson announced
his resignation and the Town turned to Joey Davis, a finalist in
the 2006 interview process. Davis was no stranger to Polk
County. In 2004 he served as the county's first full time fire
marshal - the role former Tryon Chief Clarence Scoggins had
volunteered for. A native of Shelby, North Carolina, Davis had
served since 1999 with the City of Kings Mountain Fire
Department, and after leaving Polk County in late 2004 had
remained on the volunteer roster with Columbus Fire Department.
Davis had risen through the ranks and was serving as the Deputy
Fire Chief at Columbus when he was named Tryon's 27th fire
chief. Chief Davis holds as Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a
Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbia Southern
University, and is a candidate for a Doctorate in Business
Administration from CSU. He holds the designation of
"Chief Fire Officer" from the Commission on Professional
Credentialing.
