Robert "Randy" White's official starting date with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is March 10, 1979. He began his career as a firefighter on Ladder 4, then transferred to Rescue 7. After promotion to engineer, he spent time on Rescue 32 and Engine 32 until a promotion to lieutenant in 1994 sent him to Engine 10 and later Engine 4. He waited for an opening, then returned to Station 32. The move was a real homecoming for him. In 1956, his father, Randal White, and other community leaders built Station 32, and Randy White had spent time there growing up.

In 2001, White left the station house for the union house when he was elected  president of Firefighters Local 122. He was two years into his term when Mayor John  Peyton appointed him deputy director/assistant fire chief in August 2003.

A few big fires stand out in White's career. In 1998, he arrived first on the scene on Engine 32 at the Westside woods fires. By the time they were out five days later, the department had deployed more than half of its engine companies, and the U.S. Forest Service has sent in two air tankers to drop chemicals. Firefighters kept the flames away from homes, losing none in the battle. The 1984 Triangle Refinery fire and the 1993 Stuart Petroleum fire also make White's list. In 1976, while serving as a volunteer at Station 32, White was named Firefighter of the Year for saving a 2-year-old toddler from drowning.

White received certification in emergency medical technology in 1974 from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and in fire fighting from Ocala State Fire College in 1975. He has completed numerous fire science classes and seminars during his career.