Dr. Charles E. Moreland is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and a 24 year veteran of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD). In 1990 at age 18, he joined the department and has held every civil service rank within JFRD from Firefighter, Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain, and District Chief. Charles served as a member of Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Hazardous Materials Team for more than 12 years, and also served as a member of the Honor Guard for 20 years.
Charles leadership ability and strong work ethic led to his notable appointment by Mayor John Peyton as Division Chief of Rescue in 2003; a first for any minority. In 2010, the Jacksonville native went on to achieve yet another first, through his appointment as Director/Fire Chief. At the age of 39, he became the youngest person to command the department since the city’s 1968 consolidation. Charles is the second minority to hold the position of Director/Fire Chief in JFRD history.
During his seven year tenure as Division Chief of Rescue, he focused on training, education, acquiring state of the art EMS equipment, and enhancing the overall EMS capabilities within JFRD in an effort to increase efficiency and improve emergency medical services (EMS) operations. During his tenure as Director/Fire Chief, he managed the department’s budget of roughly $164 million dollars, led approximately 1,200 employees, developed operational and capital budgets, implemented strategic plans and community wide programs to inform and educate the citizens of Duval County.
As local government was forced to contend with the impact and challenges brought on by a weak economic climate, he focused on ensuring the department continued to provide top-notch training and education with a focus on accountability, responsibility, efficiency, customer service, and firefighter health and safety. Charles priority was ensuring that JFRD was positioned for long-term and sustainable growth by being fiscally accountable to the taxpayer.
Charles public safety experience is well-rounded; he serves as Chairman of the Emergency Medical Service Tracking and Reporting System’s (EMSTARS) data committee for the State of Florida, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services since 2006. Charles was appointed in 2009 to a four-year term as a member of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (EMSAC) by then State of Florida Surgeon General, Dr. Ana M. Viamonte Ros. In 2013, he was reappointed to a subsequent four-year term, by the current State of Florida Surgeon General, Dr. John H. Armstrong. Charles was selected as Chairman of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (EMSAC) by Dr. Armstrong in 2014.
Charles efforts have been acknowledged by his peers across the State of Florida, which resulted in him being the recipient of the Marilyn Crook EMS Pioneer Award from the State of Florida Bureau of EMS for his leadership role. He was also honored as the Mark Fingeret EMS Administrator of the year by the Florida Association of County EMS in 2009.
Charles holds a number of professional certifications with an extensive scholastic background; he has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Edward Waters College (2003), Masters in Public Administration (2006) and a Doctorate of Education (2009) both from Nova Southeastern University. Charles is a proud 2008 alumni of Leadership Jacksonville.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Charles is an active philanthropist, specifically in areas of children’s education and elderly care. Charles served as District Chairman for the Boys Scouts of America Scoutreach program, which is a program designed to make sure that all young people have the opportunity to join Scouting, regardless of their circumstances, neighborhood, or ethnic background.
Charles is an avid golfer, and in January of 2015 accomplished his first hole-in-one on a 155 yard par 3 at Fleming Island Plantation Golf Course.
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