
James Wimberly
Assistant Fire Chief - Operations
St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue
James Wimberly joined St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue in October of 1981. He oversees the Operations Division which includes 312 of the 326 sworn uniformed employees for the department. This division is responsible for all emergency activity and the oversight of the department’s three specialty response teams: Hazardous Materials, Marine Rescue, and Technical Rescue.
He graduated with honors from St. Petersburg College with an associate's degree in Fire Science Administration and earned a bachelor's degree with distinction from Eckerd College in Business Management. He is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete Program and the University of Maryland’s National Fire Service Staff and Command Course. He is a Florida state certified Paramedic, Fire Safety Inspector, Fire Officer, and Fire Instructor.
He is a member of the St. Petersburg College Fire Science/Emergency Administration Advisory Committee and serves on the board of directors for the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg.