‘It’s a great honor:’ New Manassas fire chief discusses goals for the future

The City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department’s newest recruit began his tenure this week: Chief William A. Garrett.

Garrett, a Fairfax County native, and the first African-American to hold this position in the city replaced former fire chief Rob Clemons, who announced his retirement in late February. Clemons had been in the position since 2016, having replaced former longtime Chief Brett Bowman.

“For [Manassas City Manager Pat Pate] to think that I am the person that he wants to put in charge of ensuring the safety and welfare of the community…it’s a great honor,” said Garett.

Garett, after attending Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University, got his start in public safety in 1988 as a volunteer firefighter for Fairfax County. He then was hired as the deputy fire chief for the county in 1989, a position he held for 29 years, and completed a master’s degree certificate program from Virginia Tech.

Then, in June 2019, Garett became the Fire and Rescue Chief of Winchester, a position he held for over a year, before moving to the career he has today in Manassas.

While Garett’s career in public safety put him on the path toward his current leadership, it was not his original intent to become a fire chief.

“I can’t say I started out honestly wanting to end up in this seat, but as I evolved through my career, I developed certain interests and talents. Not the original plan, but as I moved forward it started to grow in interest,” said Garett.

Now, under his new leadership, he plans to improve the lives of its volunteer and career employees through new initiatives, specifically in regards to mental health. According to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it is estimated that 30% of first responders develop mental illnesses like, but not limited to, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“If I have to bring anything new, it would be towards aligning the city of Manassas with the changes that are happening in emergency services, specific to things that are for employees. For example, some of the challenges…is mental health, so I would hope towards moving towards implementing programs that would provide that level of support to career and volunteer members of that system,” said Garett.

Garett also plans to place a greater focus on how his department delivers emergency medical care in the field.

“Our lines of service delivery are changing, with more emphasis on emergency medicine. With emergency medicine, there are newer programs out there at the state level, such as mobile integrated healthcare. I would hope to bring some of those newer programs to the citizens of Manassas,” said Garett.

For now, however, Garett won’t make immediate changes and plans to instead learn about the ins and out of his new position and employer.

“This is about coming in and learning about how this organization is working the way that it does…and I think at some point I will be able to add something to the team along the way,” said Garett.