New Fire Chief Named for Little Rock

Rhoda Mae Kerr became Fire Chief for the City of Little Rock Fire Department in early January, 2004. A 20-year veteran of the fire service in Florida, Kerr was previously Deputy Chief of Administration for the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department.

A New Jersey native, Chief Kerr began as a firefighter in Fort Lauderdale in 1983, and worked her way up through the ranks of Driver-Engineer, Lieutenant, Battalion Chief, and Division Chief before becoming Deputy Chief in early 2000. She holds a master's degree in Public Administration and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program. She attended Harvard University's program for senior executives in state and local government in 2001.

The Little Rock Fire Department has 20 fire stations and 391 employees. Chief Kerr is the first woman in the state ever to be chief of a career-level fire department, and the LRFD is one of the largest departments in the country to be headed by a woman.