Community relations key, Enterprise fire chief says

Improving a fire department with an already distinguished reputation is part of Christopher Davis’ commitment as the longtime firefighter takes the reins as chief of the the Enterprise Fire Department.

Davis, who has served the city of Enterprise for nearly three decades, was named Enterprise Fire Chief at the Enterprise City Council meeting Aug. 17 when the city council unanimously approved the recommendation of Enterprise Mayor William Cooper to hire Davis to fill the fire department’s top slot.

Davis had served as the city’s interim fire chief since May 19 after longtime EFD Chief Byron Herring announced plans to retire.

The city council received 18 applications and narrowed that down to four finalists. Enterprise City Council President Turner Townsend said that following the phone interviews, the semifinalists were independently ranked by the interviewers in anticipation of naming two finalists for the in-person interviews.

However, Townsend said, all involved in the phone interviews had the same rankings for the candidates, with Davis as the unanimous top selection. “It was unanimous on every single ballot,” he said. “Chief Davis was the candidate who rose to the top.”

At that point, Davis became the only candidate selected for a final interview by the council Aug. 12.

During that interview Davis told the council that he values the relationship that the fire department has with other first responders and with the community as a whole. He reiterated that thought as he outlined the challenge “of making a great fire department greater,” for those attending the Enterprise Area Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee breakfast meeting held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars John Wiley Brock Post 6683 building Sept. 22.

“I believe that there is always a better way to do things as long as you keep an open mind to that,” Davis said. “I believe if you get to a certain point and it’s not working and you are not getting results, you have to back up and start your planning over again to find something that is sustainable. That’s been my opinion since Day 1.”

Born in Ohio, Davis has lived in Enterprise since he was 15. The 1989 graduate of Enterprise High School earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia Southern after earning an associate’s degree from Enterprise State Community College.

From 2009-2016 Davis was captain of the Enterprise Rescue Squad and in 2018 became program director of the Emergency Medical Services division of ESCC.

“Being in fire service is an opportunity to help others,” Davis said. “To those who say that if you love what you do it never feels like work, I say that is absolutely true.”

Davis said that the community relations aspect of the fire department’s service is what he will focus on increasing. “I want to be genuinely more involved in the community. Community Risk Reduction aspect of community relations is what I think is important,” Davis said. “I hope to increase interaction with the public that will allow us to get feedback about what the people of Enterprise want to see in their fire station.”

The goal of Community Risk Reduction is community focused and promotes community partnerships to improve safety. “It does not have to be a huge, expensive plan. It can be rolled out with something as simple as education and providing information to people who can benefit from it,” Davis explained. “We’ve seen if for years in smoke detector programs and fire prevention programs with children.

“All that boils down to community outreach and that’s probably my biggest passion moving forward,” he said, citing CPR classes and fall risk reduction tips for senior citizens. “These are all things that we can do to impact lives.

“My goal is that we see a reduction in calls specifically because we have provided a means for less of those emergencies to happen,” Davis added.

With the Enterprise Fire Department responding to some 4,000 runs annually, Davis stressed the importance of the mutual aid agreements that EFD has with fire departments throughout the area. “We’ve always been able to provide assistance to those around us and it’s also important to realize that we have also received help from them. Those relationships are one of the greatest assets that the city has.

“Keeping those relationships strong is an overriding belief in doing the right thing,” he added. “We help our neighbor and we rely on them to help us.”

Davis credited the city council with approving the department’s request for a training tower to be built at the central fire station. “In the future, the council is looking at getting us a burn building. These are the things that will allow us to increase our training and create firefighters.

“It just boils down to just helping people. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s just that simple. I get to help people for a living,” Davis said. “That’s what I love about the job the best. The people that you get to work with, the people that you help. That’s the best thing about the fire service and that’s why I think it’s the best job on earth.”