EDWARDSVILLE - James Whiteford has had a long, 20-plus-year career with the Edwardsville Fire Department and he has put his whole “heart and soul” into his various roles.
Now, Whiteford is mentoring the younger fire fighters and leading the department as Edwardsville Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator. Whiteford was sworn in as Edwardsville Fire Chief in early July.
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Whiteford started his career as a firefighter and paramedic and moved all the way up from a captain post to deputy chief under previous Edwardsville Fire Chief Rick Welle.
“I am pretty excited about the position,” he said. “There are a few guys here that are young guys and now I am one of the few old guys left. It is a definite culture shift in the fire department. The city has always been very supportive of training and the fire department as a whole. The fire training we do is so important. I have been in Edwardsville for 27 years.”
James has three children with his wife, Wendy: Brooke, Morgan, married to Zach Ufert, and Ashley. He said his wife and girls have always been so supportive and understanding of his career.
James is a 1987 graduate of Port Charlotte High School in Florida, where he met his wife, Wendy. The couple was married in 1991.
The new Edwardsville fire chief also was a 1991 graduate of the ITT Technical Institute in Tampa, with a computer-aided drafting and design degree. He earned a bachelor’s degree in fire department administration from Western Illinois University in 2008 and is a 2015 graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program (National Fire Academy).
Whiteford now will also take over Welle’s position as Edwardsville’s Emergency Management Agency coordinator.
James said he is excited about the new Emergency Management Agency coordinator role and knows he will have a significant impact on Edwardsville in this position, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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