Lexington, KY – When Mayor Jim Gray decided the Lexington Division of Fire needed a change in leadership shortly after taking office last year, he was impressed by Keith Jackson’s response to a question about his reading habits, specifically that the Army and fire vet enjoyed reading about leadership from the pens of Gen. Colin Powell and former GE boss Jack Welch.
In the nearly year-and-a-half it took for the mayor’s administration to clear the way to name a permanent chief after a lengthy process to oust former chief Robert Hendricks, Jackson showed Gray he wasn’t just paying lip service to certain leadership styles.
“Keith has made significant changes and improvements in the fire division by reducing over time costs by 95 percent, by improving moral, by improving the organizational structure through daily reports and quarterly meetings with executive command staff and by instituting a leadership development program,” Gray said during the ceremony officially making Jackson chief Thursday afternoon.
Growing up in the Bluegrass-Aspendale neighborhood, Jackson walked past Fire House No. 1 each day on his way to school, piquing his interest in becoming a fire fighter. Though reserved in demeanor, Jackson was influenced by his late father to seek adrenalin. Like his father, Jackson also made a career in the military, retiring this month from 25 years in the Army Reserve.
Starting in 2006, he served in northern Iraq for 18 months as an Operations Officer for a unit that conducted convoy operations near Mosul, according to a release from the city. He had 850 soldiers under his command as a Battalion Commander of the 373rd QM Battalion.
“It was the toughest decision of my life. To sign those papers was tough, real tough,” Jackson said of retiring from the military in order to take the job as Lexington’s fire chief. “I couldn’t have conducted the duties of a Colonel, a battalion commander and be fire chief.”
Since taking over as interim chief Jackson said “my focus has been on administrative changes and what the administrative change is just doing the right thing. Doing that we’ll set a standard that is very high.”
He said he plans to keep on the same track while being a ‘citizen servant.’