A retirement reception for Reidsville Fire Chief David Bracken will be held from 4-7 p.m. at RCARE, 102 North Washington Avenue, Reidsville, on Friday, June 30, 2023. The program will start at 6 p.m. The public is invited to stop by and wish Chief Bracken well.
Fire Chief David Bracken retires effective July 1, 2023 after 35 years with the Reidsville Fire Department.
First hired as a firefighter on January 13, 1988, Bracken quickly advanced in the Fire Department, becoming a Fire Lieutenant three years later and eventually a Fire Captain. In November of 1997, he was promoted to Fire Chief, serving in that role for the past 25 years. From January 2000 to December 2001, Bracken also served as President of the Piedmont District of the North Carolina State Fireman’s Association.
The Fire Chief has shared that he believes among his greatest accomplishments were the building and staffing of the City’s two newest fire stations on Barnes Street and Reid School Road as well as improving the fire rating for the City during his career.
While the Reidsville City Council was searching for a new City Manager in 2015 after then-Manager Michael Pearce announced his retirement, Bracken stepped in as Interim City Manager to ensure that City operations continued to run smoothly. He has also assisted the City as Interim Public Works Director.
“Whenever Chief Bracken has been called upon to help the City of Reidsville and its residents, he has stepped up to the plate,” said Reidsville Mayor Donald L. Gorham. “He is known for his diligence and unwavering sense of fair play, honesty and compassion in his dealings with both his firefighters and the citizens of our fair City. His leadership will be missed.”
City Manager Summer Woodard agrees.
“While I have only been Reidsville City Manager for the past two years, even in that short amount of time, I have learned firsthand that David is the epitome of what a member of ‘Team Reidsville’ should be,” Woodard said. “He is the type of person who, when faced with obstacles, finds solutions and those solutions reflect his unfailing character and integrity. I am glad to have been able to call him a friend.”
The son of Gladys Bracken and the late James Bracken, he is a Reidsville native, living here most of his life except for about eight years spent in Ohio. Bracken went to high school in Youngstown, Ohio, and then attended the University of Akron, where he received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree. In addition to his job with the City, he is pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church in Spencer, North Carolina, where he recently celebrated his 22nd pastoral anniversary. In 2012, Bracken earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
Married to wife Jacqueline B. Bracken, he has two children, Paul and Charryse, and one grandson, Titus.
It was announced last month that current Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Joshua Farmer will be Reidsville’s new Fire Chief upon Bracken’s retirement.