Captain Vinson Receives NAACP Award

Captain Damien Vinson received a prestigious recognition at the 2022 NAAC Ruby Hurley Image Awards, being named the Ralph Cothran Civil Service Officer of the Year. He was nominated by a fellow firefighter for the award. Since graduating from Brainerd High School, Damien Vinson has served his country as well as his community. He has been with the Chattanooga Fire Department for 19 years and recently retired from the US Army Reserves after 23 years and two Iraq deployments as a First Sergeant. Serving as the CFD’s’ Community Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator, he is able to invest back into the same communities that he grew up in as a child. One of the biggest accomplishments so far was being able to go back to Brainerd HS and expose the students to the fire service. This year, Captain Vinson, along with other firefighters who graduated from Brainerd, have been able to teach Fire Forensics to the students with the hopes of them pursuing the fire service and serving their community. This has also been an opportunity for students to be around positive role models. Captain Vinson works countless hours on nights, weekends and holidays attending community meetings and events to promote the CFD and connect with the public. He has successfully increased recruiting numbers and he has taken the department’s community outreach to a whole new level. This has led to many strengthened relationships with neighborhoods across the city, as well as city leaders. We appreciated the work he does to represent the CFD and continuously highlight the department with his innovative and enthusiastic efforts. Congratulations!

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