Special to the Herald
Rincon Fire Chief Lou Reed can drop the word “Interim” from his title.
The City of Rincon officially named Reed the city’s fire chief Sept. 11. Reed had been the interim chief since the previous fire chief, Corey Rahn, retired in December 2021.
“It is with great pleasure that I am happy to say that City Council agreed with my recommendation to promote interim fire chief Lou Reed to the city’s first permanent, full-time fire chief,” said Jonathan Lynn, city manager. “We know he will do a great job and are looking forward to the future with him in charge of our fire department.”
Reed has been a resident of Effingham County since 1983. He graduated from Effingham County High School and received his fire science training while serving with the United States Air Force.
In July, Reed received his bachelor’s degree in fire administration from Columbia Southern University based in Orange Beach, Alabama. He is pursuing his master’s in public health administration and his certified public manager degree.
Reed has been a paramedic for 29 years. He and his wife Mandy have four children and five grandchildren.
Reed has been with the Rincon Fire Department since November, 2011. He has risen through the ranks serving as a firefighter/paramedic, engineer, and captain. His experience in the fire service includes firefighting, emergency medical services, hazardous materials operations, incident command, vehicle and machinery rescue, facilities management, public relations, project management and development of operating procedures, personnel policies, and labor relations.
Chief Reed’s primary goal for the Rincon Fire Department is to reduce the number of fires and fire-related injuries and deaths in the community. He believes this can be accomplished by:
•Analyzing response data to identify those that are at greater risk
• Providing a quality life-safety education program to citizens
• Enforcing state and local fire prevention codes
• Responding with the resources necessary to quickly and safely perform operations at the scene of an emergency.
