Newberry appoints Buckner permanent fire chief

NEWBERRY – The City of Newberry has appointed Ben Buckner as their new fire chief. Buckner has been serving as interim fire chief and City Manager Mike New announced his promotion to fire chief on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Buckner stepped in as interim fire chief when former Fire Chief David Rodriguez was put on administrative leave for alleged multiple offenses in December 2013.

Buckner has been with the Newberry Fire Department for a little over 20 years, and it is where he started out as a firefighter. He has been living in High Springs since 1985.

“It’s something that was unexpected at this time, however, it’s nice to know that the city manager and the commission have confidence in me that we can get the job done… and move forward in a positive and productive way,” Buckner said.

Buckner was the top candidate within the pool of internal candidates. He said the city wanted to find a chief from within their own department, but would have gone outside the department if they felt they needed to.

Chief Buckner was hired as a Newberry firefighter in 1994, promoted to lieutenant in 1998 and then promoted to captain in 2002.

There are currently 17 employees in the Newberry Fire Department who report to Chief Buckner.

“This job is made a whole lot easier because of the employees we have,” Buckner said. “These guys and ladies, they know what to do. The fire department employees know what to do. You don’t have to direct them very often. They work very well on their own, and it makes the chief’s jobs so much easier when you have employees like that.”

New said that as interim fire chief, Buckner has demonstrated fiscal responsibility, dedication, and commitment to the safety of Newberry residents.

When not at the station, Buckner said he spends all his time with his 14- and 16-year-old sons.

“That’s what I do when I’m not here, baseball and doing stuff with them,” Buckner said. “Those are the loves of my life. All my time out of here is devoted to them. They keep me busy.”

He said his sons have shown interest in becoming firefighters themselves.

“I don’t know how much of them wanting to do it is because dad does it or they really want to do it,” Buckner said.

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