Fire Chief Dennis Fagnant serves as only our second paid chief following the retirement of Chief Randy Ratcliff. Dennis began his fire service career as a Junior Firefighter and ultimately Volunteer Firefighter in 1992 with the North Cumberland Fire Department in Rhode Island. He enlisted into active duty service with the United States Air Force in July, 1995 serving in both the satellite communications field and fire protection. After honorably serving his country for 11 years and multiple overseas assignments, Dennis left active duty service in 2006, joining the Town of Weaverville Fire Department and quickly promoting to Battalion Chief.
In 2007, Dennis joined the West Buncombe Fire Department as a part-time Firefighter to enjoy his passion of being a “tailboard firefighter”. In 2017, Dennis was hired as the first paid full-time Division Chief leading Safety and Training for West Buncombe and was promoted to Fire Chief on January 14, 2020. Dennis is nationally credentialed as a Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University.
Dennis is a proud husband and father to his two daughters and enjoys spending time with family, camping, and woodworking.
Committed to Service and Community
A Message from the Fire Chief
The ability to express the honor of being your Fire Chief is one I find horribly difficult to articulate. Being a firefighter has been a childhood dream and the ability to serve as a Fire Chief is an honor I think about and am thankful for every day. Service has been the hallmark of my life. I grew up with my best friend’s dad serving as the Fire Chief and my passion for helping others has never left me. As the first generation to see our country securing freedom on TV during the Iraqi War, I felt the call to service, serving on active duty with the United States Air Force for 11 years. The exposure to life beyond our borders completely changed my perspective on serving those who are less fortunate! I am passionate about serving my community and this passion is passed to those who I am fortunate to serve with at the West Buncombe Fire Department. We are blessed as a community to have such a staff of dedicated, professional, and compassionate firefighters who will care for you in your time of need.
I am dedicated to serving the citizens of the West Buncombe Fire Department and Buncombe County as a whole. It is my desire to be reachable to all citizens to answer questions related to fire protection services or address any concerns or gaps you feel exist. In this sentiment, I welcome you to contact me at any time, by any means. My office number is 828-254-7387, my cell is 828-545-5128, and my email is dennis.fagnant@wbfd.org. I am here to serve you!
Past Chiefs
- Garfield Treadway
- Zeb Sheppard
- Dale Lance
- Vernon Dover (Life Member)
- Skip Myers (Life Member)
- David Martin (Life Member)
- Randy Ratcliff (Life Member)
Guidelines for Scheduling and Contacting the WBFD
Sales and Vendor Inquiries
Chief Fagnant does not accommodate cold sales calls or visits. Please contact Ms. Robin Edwards to schedule a sales meeting with the Chief. The staff of West Buncombe Fire Department is empowered to make purchasing decisions. The Chief expects his staff to make “lowest responsible bidder” decisions and Ms. Edwards is able to direct your inquiry to the correct POC which is not necessarily the Chief.