City Council also approved appointment of Mark Jackson as new Deputy Fire Chief

Southfield City Council approved City Administrator Fred Zorn’s recommended appointment of new Southfield Fire Chief Joey Thorington and Deputy Fire Chief Mark Jackson at the April 28 City Council meeting.

Fire Chief Thorington retired from the City of Dearborn Fire Department after 27 years of service with his last three years as the department's Fire Chief. Chief Thorington has a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University. He also holds Fire Staff and Command certification from Eastern Michigan University and Executive Fire Officer certification from the National Fire Academy. He is a passionate and experienced Fire Chief with a proven track record of leading firefighting teams to excellence.

Deputy Fire Chief Jackson previously served 26 years at the Detroit Fire Department, most recently as a Fire Lieutenant where he was primarily responsible for Fire Suppression and Rescue while supervising and teaching the next generation of Public Safety Heroes. He has extensive experience as a Professional Emergency Manager, Fire Service Administrator, Fire Officer I,II,III, Exercise & Training Coordinator, Hazardous Materials Technician, Confined Space Technician, Trench Rescue Technician, Aircraft Rescue, Vehicle Extrication Specialist-Trainer, Chemistry for Hazardous Materials 1 & 2, and Arson Investigations. 

Deputy Chief Jackson holds a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in Leadership, from Cleary University and a Bachelor of Science degree, with a concentration in Diversity, Leadership and Public Safety from Cleary University.