ALEXANDRIA, Va. β A celebration was held inside Alexandria City Hall Tuesday night, as the new fire chief was officially sworn in.
Felipe Hernandez Jr. was sworn in as Alexandria's next Fire Chief, and first permanent Latino Fire Chief.
"I think it's important to be a representative, especially for Latinos in the community, mostly, for the fact that it gives them the opportunity to see themselves in positions of higher ranks. I think it's important for all of us to be role models to the people in the community," he told WUSA9.
He joins the department, after serving in the City of Rochester, New York for 25 years. There he began as a firefighter and worked his way up the ranks, eventually making history there as well, as their first Latino Fire Chief too.
"I was also the first Latino in the history of the fire department to make each rank up to fire chief as well," said Hernandez.
Hernandez takes over from Interim Chief James Schwartz, who came out of retirement earlier this year, to fill the position. He had previously served 32 years with the Arlington County Fire Department, serving as the Chief for 11 years.
Schwartz had stepped in to temporarily fill the position left open by former Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley, who retired in January. He was appointed to the Montgomery County Fire Division in May.
Hernandez, who retired himself in 2023, from the Rochester Fire Department says he realized he wasn't quite ready to call it a day. When this opportunity came about, he jumped on board.
"I missed it. I liked the opportunities. I liked the challenges. I like being involved in the community and just missed it. So, I'm definitely looking forward to the second round of being a fire chief," said Hernandez.
He says he's excited to call Alexandria home.
"I fell in love with the city. It's actually one of the first cities I visited as an adult. I'm blessed that they gave me the opportunity to come here. It's a beautiful city. We actually live in Old Town right now and we just enjoy the area," he said.
Adding, that he's also looking forward to being a part of the Alexandria Fire Department and this community.
βThis is a great fire department. My job is to maintain and build on that greatness. I believe strongly in community engagement and community risk reduction. So, they're definitely going to see me out there a lot. The fire department is an important part of the community. They're part of the solutions and I hope to continue that momentum moving forward," said Hernandez.
He officially takes over on Monday, July 8.
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