Augusta’s new fire chief, Antonio Burden, was sworn in on Tuesday morning at the Municipal Building downtown.
Burden, who was previously a deputy fire chief in Dekalb County took the oath of office shortly after 9:30 a.m. The event was crowded for what Mayor Hardie Davis called “a momentous occasion.”
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“We are here to turn the corner, to set the stage for the Augusta of today and in hopes of an Augusta with a willingness and desire of all to serve, to protect and to provide for the health and welfare of all of our residents,” Davis said.
After being officially sworn in by Davis, the new fire chief spoke on what he termed “the power of we.”
“We seldom reach any destination without stumbling across a few rocks in the road. And when we are soaring high above the clouds in the sky, we are definitely bound to encounter some turbulence,” Burden said.
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Burden’s process of selection was conducted largely out of the view of the public. City Administrator Odie Donald refused to answer Open Records Act requests made by the media and that refusal landed the city in Superior Court.
The Augusta Press, along with three other media organizations, filed suit to force the release of a list of possible candidates and won.
The records showed that Burden was not recommended by the official recruitment organization, GovHR, but rather by Donald himself.
At the time, Donald sent a letter to commissioners and the mayor that stated flatly, contrary to media reports, he personally did not add any candidates to the list of finalists for the fire chief position. However, an email Donald sent to Human Resources Director Anita Rookard told a different story.
In the email, Donald specifically asked Rookard to request information on Burden, even though he was not recommended as a tier one or tier two candidate by the recruiting firm.
Burden was eventually selected for the position by a 6 – 3 vote of the Augusta commission.
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In his acceptance speech, Burden showed a willingness to move beyond the past and begin tackling the issues facing the fire department which has, for years, struggled with low morale.
“Debate and honest dialogue about what is working and what is not working will root out confusion,” Burden said. “Where we are going calls for us to listen and learn from an array of viewpoints and perspectives from the rookie and the seasoned retiree to the affluent and the afflicted.”
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In addressing the fire department’s future under his leadership, Burden stated his aim is to use data driven solutions and to leverage technology to to reach his goals for the department.
Burden ended his speech by quoting a poem by Will Allen Dromgoole titled, “The Bridge Builder.”
The ceremony ended without Burden accepting questions from the media.
Burden replaces controversial former fire chief Chris James, who resigned under pressure in December of 2020.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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