By Donna Williams Lewis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DECATUR, Ga. — Toni Tolbert Dixon, former deputy fire chief in East Point, has become the first black and first female fire chief of Decatur.
Dixon, 40, will work alongside current fire Chief Jerry Malone for the next six months. Malone plans to retire in July after 35 years of service in the Decatur department, which marks its centennial this year. Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss said Dixon’s appointment came out of a national search.
“We were pleased to find somebody locally. She is just very impressive. Her enthusiasm, her energy were all very appealing,” Merriss said.
Dixon will lead a department of 40 firefighters. There is one fire station, located in downtown Decatur. Another is under construction to replace a station in the city’s Oakhurst neighborhood.
Dixon said she plans to focus on professionalism and customer service as the department’s new chief. “We want to be a Fire Department where you don’t just see us in an emergency,” she said.
The married mother of four lives in south Fulton County. She got her start in the field in 1992 as a fire safety technician in the state fire marshal’s office. In her most recent position, Dixon managed administrative services for East Point’s Fire Department. She has a bachelor’s degree from Savannah State University and a master’s degree from National-Louis University’s Atlanta location, which has closed.
Copyright 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution