Columbia Fire Chief Jeff McKenzie will be retiring June 30, an announcement that came as a surprise to many in the community. McKenzie said he did not want to do or say anything until he was sure.
"Right now, I am planning to do absolutely nothing. Realistically, there will be plenty to do, such as my son having a long list of things for us to do together. It'll take a few days to realize I have nothing I have to do," McKenzie said. "I'll do nothing but enjoy time with my family. Then I will try to process everything from life. Then I'll make some plans and see what I might want to do. There are still things to be done. Life goes on. I imagine I'll stay busy getting caught up with all of the stuff I should've done years ago. The biggest thing I am looking forward to is not having to be on a time schedule-somebody else's time schedule."
McKenzie will retire with nearly 29 years of service and said the last six years have probably been the best as he served as chief and worked with the Columbia mayor and Board of Aldermen.
He began with the Columbia Fire Department on Mar. 24, 1996, graduating from the Fire Academy that year. He graduated from emergency medical technician school in 1998 and from the Harrison County Law Enforcement Academy in 1999.
He said it was a pleasure to work as a law enforcement officer for a short time, but his heart has always been with the fire department.
He was promoted to CFD Captain around 2001 and was named chief in 2016.
McKenzie has worked two full-time jobs since 2011 when he began working at the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport as a civilian dealing with aircraft. He said that was a different aspect of firefighting, and he learned a lot that has been very useful.
Sunday was his last shift at CRTC, and Tuesday was his last shift with the CFD.
McKenzie said he has missed a lot in his life.
"When you have a career, you want to do the best you can. You have to invest time or you are just going through the motions," he said. "It takes a great deal from your personal life because you have invested all of yourself during the day. While I was away at work, my wife, Melissa, kept things going and was my support and my rock at home."
McKenzie had several jobs before he settled into a career with the fire department. He worked at the sawmill in Goss for more than nine years, at Walker's Warehouse unloading 18-wheelers, at Pioneer Aerospace, at Georgia Pacific and at Watts Clothing Store.
When he was 29, he told his father, Jerry, who was Chief of the CFD, that he did not know how much longer he could do lumber. McKenzie said his dad asked him if he had ever thought about being a fireman. He said he appreciated that his father let him come to that on his own and never pushed him into the career. His dad became a fireman in 1969, so McKenzie grew up around the fire stations. He got to work with his father from 1996 to 2003 at the CFD.
McKenzie said he had some great mentors along his career, particularly in the beginning.
He especially wants to thank Tommy Graves, a retired Captain with the CFD, who taught him about the science of fire, which helped him understand the process of what they were doing.
"We fought fires together for a long time," McKenzie said.
"I can't thank the city enough for allowing me to do what I have done with the fire department," McKenzie said. "Their mindset is to have the best fire department we can. We've done a lot of great things. It's time. There comes a time when you know it's time, not that I don't like my job. I know if I want to enjoy my life, I have to do it now. Things are going well. I wouldn't want to leave with things bad. I'd want to fix it.
"There are things I will miss. I'll still be in town. I'll be around. I still live here," McKenzie said.
"Without a doubt," he said, "The department will continue to improve. Lyle (Berard) is already a chief in Monticello, so he knows what to do. I have every bit of confidence he will continue to improve the department."
McKenzie has a son, Cash, and a daughter, Amber Buchanon.
He and his wife, Melissa, attend Woodlawn Church in Columbia.
