Wilmington appoints new fire chief

Wilmington has a new fire chief. The city council appointed Cecil Martinette ,Jr., from Hanover County, VA, as the new fire chief.

Martinette has a bachelor's degree in fire administration from Hampton University and a masters in public administration from Troy State University. He will start September 2, after finishing out his current position as assistant county administrator. Wilmington's mayor says Martinette's experiences will make him an excellent fire chief.

"He has a wealth of knowledge," Bill Saffo said. "Obviously he was involved in some very serious issue in regards to our country during the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon. Of course he was at the Murrah Federal Building (in Oklahoma City) during that collapse."

You may hear the new fire chief being referred to as "Buddy." The mayor says that is his long standing nickname.

The only local candidate was interim fire chief Frank Blackley. We are told he is out of town until Monday, and could not be reached for comment.