Mayor Scott taps 33-year agency veteran to lead Baltimore City Fire Department

Mayor Brandon Scott announced Wednesday morning that he has tapped James Wallace to lead the Baltimore City Fire Department, after eight months of a series of rotating interim leaders. The 33-year veteran of the department will begin serving as acting chief effective immediately. Wallace has served as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, an office within the fire department tasked with everything from pandemic response to creating and implementing citywide plans during hazardous weather, since 2020.