The new chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department joins Midday. Chief James Wallace was nominated to the position by Mayor Brandon Scott in July and confirmed by the City Council in October.

He began his career with the department 33 years ago, and rose through the ranks as a paramedic, a firefighter, Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief. Since 2020, he served in the Scott administration as the head of the Office of Emergency Management.

Baltimore sees many fires, with one of the highest per capita fire rates in the country.

Chief Wallace is in charge of fighting those fires facing shortages of both equipment and personnel, budget over runs, and the challenge of high 911 call volumes that is causing delays in response times

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