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WALLACE — After just two years on the job, Wallace Fire Operations Director Taylor Johnson is stepping away from his positions with the town and fire department to start a new job in another part of the state.
The 30-year-old firefighter was just married in April, and he said he has received a job opportunity with Fire Connections, a fire department equipment supplier based in Rocky Mount.
Johnson currently wears two hats. He has served concurrently as the town Director of Fire Operations and as the chief of the Wallace Fire Department. He turned in his resignation to town manager Rob Taylor on June 16.
“As far as director of fire operations I will be stepping down from that role as of Aug. 1,” Johnson said Thursday. “The plan is for me to remain as fire chief until January when the membership will vote on new officers.”
Though he will no longer be with the department, he’s staying in the field that he loves.
“I will be selling fire equipment and fire apparatus,” Johnson said. ”My wife and I felt like it was an opportunity that we could not pass up and better for our future. We will have to relocate over the next several months. I have enjoyed my time in Wallace and have learned a lot of valuable lessons that I can continue using.”
Town manager Taylor explained that while the fire department is volunteer, the town position is a paid position.
“Our department’s structure is fairly unique,” he explained. “To my knowledge, only one or two other municipal departments in the state operate similarly, relying on volunteers while remaining under municipal oversight. While he has held both the Director and Chief roles concurrently, these positions could be filled by two different individuals.”
Town and fire department leaders will decide soon exactly how they will be moving forward with the director’s position, Taylor said. There is a line item in the newly adopted 2025-26 town budget for the position. The salary can range from $57,293 to $85,940, depending on experience.
Though he’s only been chief for two years, Johnson has been with the department since he was 18 years old. He said the department will always hold a special place in his heart. He followed his father, Chuck Johnson, to the department.
“Dad was on the department when I was younger. So I grew up in the department, and coming to fires and fire meetings with him,” Johnson said. “He’s the main reason I really got into the fire service. He got off around 2007, and when I got on in 2013, he came back on in 2014. It was a great highlight in my fire service career being able to serve alongside him.”
“Wallace will always be my home, and I have been blessed with an amazing tenure with the Wallace Fire Department. I will continue to support them from wherever I am.”
The department is busy and growing, with construction on a new $4 million facility on Southerland Street already underway. Volunteers are always welcome, he added, and the best ways to join are either to show up at a meeting at the current department at 316 E. Murray St, or just pick up an application at town hall. Fire meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
