St. Johns Fire Rescue Chief Sean McGee | St. Johns County
Published on March 19, 2024 at 4:01 pm
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Acting Fire Chief Sean McGee has been appointed as chief of the St. Johns County fire department.
McGee was appointed by the County Council on Tuesday. He succeeds Fire Chief Scott Bullard, who was appointed fire chief last June and left the agency later that year.
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Bullard told News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner, that he was ousted because of departmental politics, but County Administrator Joy Andrews said Bullard was asked to resign for other reasons.
Bullard, News4Jax reported, had come under fire for his communication and planning during Hurricane Idalia and his changing of other department policies during his tenure as chief.
McGee has served as a member of St. Johns Fire Rescue for 25 years and as a battalion chief for the past 11. He was appointed acting fire chief in October 2023, when Bullard resigned.
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County Administrator Joy Andrews said McGee’s leadership in the department and throughout the community allowed the county to drop its original plan to use a national search for fire chief candidates.
The president of the St. Johns County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics IAFF Local 3865, David Stephens, also spoke highly of McGee in a statement released Tuesday.
“St. Johns County professional fighters are excited to have Chief McGee appointed as our next fire chief,” Stephens said. “We look forward to working with him as we continue to protect our community and advance our department into the future.”
