Todd Wagoner Named New Lafayette Fire Chief

By Debbie Gregory

A new Lafayette fire chief was appointed by Mayor Jerry Wilmore and the appointment was approved by the Lafayette City Council during last week’s regular monthly meeting.

The Lafayette City Council accepted Chief Troy Brawner’s letter of retirement in April, and Todd Wagoner, who will begin on June 1st, will officially take on the new role as fire chief on July 1st. Wagoner will bring many years of firefighting experience to his new position. He began his journey in the fire service as a volunteer fireman in 1988.

“Chief Brawner and I are actually cousins” said Wagoner, “and in 1987 we were at a Christmas supper when Troy got paged to a fire and I rode with him. It was the first fire I’d ever been to and it piqued my interest in firefighting. I decided to put my application in and was fortunate enough that Chief Loryn Atwell decided to give me a chance in August of 1988, and that same year Keith Scruggs talked me through my first house fire. I have been a volunteer member of the Lafayette Fire Department ever since.”

In February of 2004, Wagoner became a full-time fireman with the Gallatin Fire Department and he moved up through the ranks in the 17 1/2 years he was there. He was a firefighter, a lieutenant over an engine company, trained officers for five or six years, was promoted to one of two assistant chief positions, and he investigated fires for the last 10 months he was there.

“Being fire chief has always been a dream of mine and the long road has been worth it,” said 

Wagoner. “Lafayette has a lot of good firefighters and I have known several of them for many years. However, there are a lot of new guys on the squad and I’m looking forward to getting to know them.”

“One of my goals is to build a strong relationship with the firefighters and to build on the foundation that was laid down by the previous chiefs,” noted Wagoner. “Like any new job, there will be some challenges – which I want to meet and overcome.”
“I want to thank Mayor Wilmore and the Lafayette City Council for this opportunity and for having the confidence in me to do this job,” added Wagoner. “I am truly honored to serve this department and the City of Lafayette. I wish Chief Brawner all the best in his retirement.”

Todd was born and raised in Macon County, and he has been married to his wife, Felicia, for 32 years. They have two daughters.