The City of Jacksonville’s new fire marshal isn’t new to fire service in Onslow County - or to the city he now serves.
Brian Kelly, who served as Onslow County’s fire marshal for seven years, is now back with the Jacksonville Fire and Emergency Services (JFES), where he had risen to the position of assistant fire marshal when he moved to the county.
His time with the county gave him valuable experience as a fire marshal and he sees the move back to the city department as a natural transition.
“I see it as like putting on an old leather boot or glove. When you first put it on it is a little stiff but you give it a little time and it fits perfect,” Kelly said of his first two weeks back with JFES. “I’m blessed to be able to come back.”
While fire investigations are part of the job, Kelly said the prevention division he oversees operates under three basic tenets: engineering, education and enforcement.