Chiefs Desk
As the Chief of Mills River Fire and Rescue, I would like to welcome you to our website! I am a native of this outstanding and rapidly growing community, and I'm honored and humbled to serve here as the Fire Chief. My days here at the fire department began at the young age of 7, as my dad was one of the founding members of this department and I always enjoyed spending time here with him. I became an official junior/cadet firefighter in 1978 and this was the beginning of a long and rewarding career in the fire service, 35 years of which were as a volunteer.
These volunteer years began upon my graduation from West Henderson High School and NC State University (NCSU). I worked as a Research Specialist for 31 years at the NCSU Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station here in Mills River. NCSU was very gracious in allowing I and another volunteer firefighter (Harold Sitton) to respond to major fires and serious emergencies during our time of employment there. This was critical for our community, as we had no full-time career staff during those years. During this time, I held the rank of Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, Chief, Training Coordinator, and Board of Directors Member. Upon my retirement from NCSU in 2013, I was hired as the first full-time career Fire Chief here at Mills River Fire and Rescue.
I'm very blessed to have an exemplary group of dedicated men and women of this fire department who respond to fires, medical problems, vehicle accidents, and a wide array of other emergencies in our community and surrounding areas, and I'm very grateful to all the residents of the Mills River Fire District for your continued and outstanding support of this fire department. I welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have as you can email me at [email protected] or call at 828-891-7959.
Chief Rick Livingston
These volunteer years began upon my graduation from West Henderson High School and NC State University (NCSU). I worked as a Research Specialist for 31 years at the NCSU Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station here in Mills River. NCSU was very gracious in allowing I and another volunteer firefighter (Harold Sitton) to respond to major fires and serious emergencies during our time of employment there. This was critical for our community, as we had no full-time career staff during those years. During this time, I held the rank of Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, Chief, Training Coordinator, and Board of Directors Member. Upon my retirement from NCSU in 2013, I was hired as the first full-time career Fire Chief here at Mills River Fire and Rescue.
I'm very blessed to have an exemplary group of dedicated men and women of this fire department who respond to fires, medical problems, vehicle accidents, and a wide array of other emergencies in our community and surrounding areas, and I'm very grateful to all the residents of the Mills River Fire District for your continued and outstanding support of this fire department. I welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have as you can email me at [email protected] or call at 828-891-7959.
Chief Rick Livingston