Beaufort’s fire chief is stepping down. But he’s not leaving local government
Reece Bertholf, the city’s of Beaufort’s fire chief for the past 4 1/2 years, is assuming full-time duties as Beaufort’s deputy city manager in mid-August, the city announced Tuesday.
For 18 months, Bertholf had held dual roles — fire chief and assistant city manager — but he’s giving up the job of fire chief to focus on his growing duties at City Hall.
Bertholf said Tuesday his day-to-day role in the city manager’s office will include working with the heads of all the city departments, with special emphasis on fire, public works and finance.
His salary as assistant city manager will be $124,000. Future increases will be merit based and determined by the city manager.
His previous salary, holding both positions, was $118,640.
Bertholf began with the fire department as a volunteer in 2000 and joined full time the following year after leaving the Marine Corps.
The community has invested a lot in him over the years, he noted.
“It’s very exciting to me to give back what they’ve given me,” said Bertholf, calling his new focused duties a “huge opportunity.”
The search is now on for a new fire chief, and is expected to take a month to six weeks, City Manager Bill Prokop said.
The city is reviewing both internal and external candidates.
“Over the last 18 months, Chief Bertholf has assumed more responsibilities in his dual role,” Prokop said in a statement. “He has a thorough understanding of city functions and responsibilities, as well as the challenges we face as a community.”
Bertholf is coordinating the city’s efforts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on issues such as sea level rise, and grant opportunities related to issues such as disaster recovery.
Economic development, annexation, communications, project management and strategic planning will also continue to be part of his job duties.
And Bertholf will continue to be a liaison between the City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal, managing shared services and intergovernmental agreements, the city said.
Bertholf, 43, became fire chief in 2016, replacing the retiring Sammy Negron. In 2020, Prokop named him assistant city manager, too. In that job, Bertholf has assisted Prokop in various capacities with city operations and also stands in when the city manager is absent.
He has a master’s degree from The Citadel and a bachelor’s from the University of South Carolina Beaufort. He is enrolled in executive education at Harvard’s Kennedy School, which will lead to an executive certificate in public leadership.
