from staff
It’s kind of ironic that the City said goodbye to one chief of emergency preparedness and hello to his successor the same day Hurricane Bertha was churning in the mid-Atlantic.
According to forecasters, neither the services of the retiring Lorin Mock nor Marty Senterfitt will be needed any time soon. Mock is leaving the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department after a nearly 27-year career, but will stay on as a paid private consultant through March of next year. While he’s technically on call, Mock said he welcomes the opportunity to wear street clothes and work when he’s needed or wants.
“It depends on the need,” said Mock of how many hours a week he’ll work.
Senterfitt has been with the department for 20 years and started as a firefighter.
“I worked my way up,” said the Jacksonville native.
Senterfitt said his interest in emergency preparedness evolved over his career and expanded as he was exposed more and more to emergency deployment situations. He said having Mock around for what’s supposed to be a bust hurricane season will help.
“If anything hits, we’ll have double coverage,” he said.