Reginald Freeman
Fire Chief
City of Oakland
Oakland, CA USA
“It wasn’t about being the best, it was about putting my best foot forward.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationReginald Freeman
01:10
Reginald Freeman Highlight05:44
Interview02:13
Determined To Become A Fire Chief Despite Negativity And Hurdles02:22
Building A Reputation As A Change Agent01:35
Using My Drive As An Athlete In My Profession01:06
The Importance Of Accountability In The Workplace01:12
The Most Gratifying Part Of Being A Leader01:58
Changes In The Fire Service Over Time01:41
Learning Leadership Skills Through Education And Life Experience01:32
Fire Service And Mental Health00:56
Using Patience To Maintain Humility01:49
Developing Character Skills And Fostering A Healthy Work Culture01:39
Embrace Change And Trust The Process As You Grow
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, but moved every three years because my father was in the Air Force.
I was an all American athlete in high school and college but unfortunately got injured during my freshman year of college.
I was originally interested in becoming a DEA agent but knew that the educational experience required wasn’t a great fit for me.
I decided to join the fire service, which is not only the ultimate team sport, but also has the paramilitary style I knew and appreciated.
A mentor had recommended me to a jurisdiction off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi that was looking to diversify the organization—I was hired as the first African American Firefighter EMT for the city.
I was determined to ultimately become the fire chief, so I put myself through all of the technician courses possible and then went on to earn my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
All of my work propelled me to climb the ranks at an extraordinarily fast rate—I was only in the fire service for about five years before I became a chief officer.
I went to Iraq as a civilian fire chief for the Department of Defense, served as fire chief for Lockheed Martin, then fire chief for Hartford, Connecticut, before landing in Oakland, California.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Leadership
Bellevue University
Leadership
Bellevue University
Graduate
Executive Fire Service Leadership
Grand Canyon University
Executive Fire Service Leadership
Grand Canyon University
Career
Fire Chief
I'm responsible for all 25 fire stations and 532 firefighters in Oakland, California.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Armed Services
Helping People
Skills & Qualities Beyond School
An important skill as a leader is the ability to empower others to make confident decisions. Communication is also critical. As a person in a position of authority, it's very important to ensure that you're consistently communicating to the workforce. I also practice servant leadership. In this mindset, the firefighters don't work for me—I work for the firefighters.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You're only taking the fun classes. Why don't you take something hard? You can't do it."
Challenges I Overcame
Racial Discrimination
Interviewed By
Serving Change
See how people serve the common good
