Charles Atkins Jr. always wanted to work in a field where he could help people, and he initially thought teaching might be the right profession for him.

After finishing his undergraduate coursework at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Vicksburg native began substitute teaching in 1984 at local high schools. To supplement his income and broaden his horizons, he also began working for the Vicksburg Fire Department.

“I initially rode on the rescue truck and spent a lot of time with paramedics. That was the first time I’d ever seen a paramedic work, and I really developed an appreciation for what they do,” recalled Atkins of his early years with the department. “I was either on rescue at that time or on the firefighting truck, and it was a good learning experience.”

It wasn’t long after he began driving the rescue truck that Atkins witnessed something that solidified his desire to make a career with the fire department. He was riding with the department’s first paramedic, Mark Hales — who also joined the department in 1984 and now has been promoted to deputy fire chief of firefighting operations by the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

“He brought a lady who was in a diabetic coma back to life,” Atkins said. “One minute she was laying there lifeless, barely breathing at all, and the next minute he had her sitting up and talking. That blew me away — that was it for me.”

Atkins maintained his substitute teaching job through 1994, but meanwhile he began piling up certifications from the Mississippi State Fire Academy. Among other things, he became a certified Emergency Medical Technician, took rope rescue courses, learned to drive the fire engines and was trained to handle hazardous materials. In 1994, he was chosen to head all training operations in the department. 

“There were two openings in the department at that time, one overseeing inspection and one overseeing training. I chose to go into inspection, but chief (Doris) Sprouse chose me for the training job. He saw something in me that I didn’t see — the 10 years I spent substitute teaching,” Atkins recalled.

Now a 25-year veteran of the department, Atkins was announced as Mayor Paul Winfield’s choice to head the fire department in the weeks following his June 2 win over two-term incumbent Laurence Leyens.

Soft spoken and humble, the 53-year-old Atkins said he didn’t know what to expect after he submitted his application to Winfield for the fire department’s top job.

“I was wondering, is that good enough — all the qualifications I have — is that going to be sufficient? To be honest, I didn’t know,” Atkins admitted. “But I’m here now, and I’m going to do the very best I can.”  

On July 10, Atkins was sworn in as fire chief after being selected by the mayor and aldermen by a 2-1 vote. He now oversees one of the city’s largest and most crucial departments, with about 130 employees spread across seven fire stations and an annual budget of roughly $5.9 million for firefighting operations and $2.4 million for ambulance and rescue operations. 

“When you fight fires you don’t have any time to second guess yourself. You have to make a decision, stick to it and pray for a good outcome,” Atkins said. “I’m going to bring that same mentality to this job.”

His appointment to the fire department’s top spot comes with a historical footnote as well, because he is the first black to head the department. While he said that aspect of his appointment hasn’t gone unnoticed, he also doesn’t put too much stock into it.

“People have asked me about that — how I feel about being the first African-American fire chief — and I haven’t really had an answer for them,” he said. “It is significant when you think of all the sacrifices and accomplishments people have made over the years to allow me to reach this achievement. It makes you feel good in that sense. But really, I just think about the fact that I am qualified for the job, and being African-American doesn’t factor into that.” 

Atkins said current firefighting and EMS operations and response times are acceptable, but could always be improved with more training. Moreover, his main goals include expanding local training options at the Waltersville training tower and incorporating more public education programs into local schools. Rope rescue training and educational courses are currently held at the training tower, but Atkins said he’d like to see a water reservoir built on site so the firefighters can do actual firefighting training with hoses. He said an expansion to allow engine driving training would also be beneficial.   

“Another thing I’d like during my time here is to see another rescue unit added to the department. Right now we only have one truck, and it’s running itself to death,” Atkins said. “We have four ambulances, and each time they respond to a call in the city or the county the rescue unit also responds. I’d like to see another one housed in a station south or north of the city to help out.” 

Outside of his work, Atkins has been an active member of Mount Carmel M.B. Church for 30 years. He’s taught Sunday school at the church for the past 15 years and has been chairman of the deacons board since 1997. In his free time, Atkins said he can most often be found with his family. Married for 24 years, he and his wife have two adult sons and two granddaughters. He also enjoys training for and competing in race walks all over the state, including Vicksburg’s annual Run Thru History in the Vicksburg National Military Park and the Over The River Run on the old U.S. 80 bridge — and he said he usually finishes in the top three.

“I always tell the guys to have something healthy to do outside of your work. We deal with a lot of stressful situations; life and death issues; and you don’t always want to carry that around with you,” he said. “You have to have a healthy release.”

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com