Mark Watson                                  Pictures of the Chief's Office
Fire Chief

                                             Chief Watson meets General Russel L. Horone
Mark was appointed Fire Chief in April, 1995 by Mayor Jimmie C. Hart and the Troy Board of Aldermen.  His father, Everett J. Watson served from 1950 until 1995 as Troy's second Fire Chief  making Mark a second generation Fire Chief  for the Town of  Troy.  A life-long resident of the Town of Troy, Mark  attended school at Troy Elementary School and graduated from Obion County Central High School in 1975.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1989.  After graduation from high school, he worked in his family's oil business until it was sold in 1991.   He served as a fireman from a young boy until 1978 when, at age twenty-one (21), his father appointed him Captain of the Fire Department and he served in that capacity until he was appointed Chief.   He is currently employed as a Procurement Officer for the State of Tennessee's Department of Correction.  In addition to his fire service duties, Mark is also a charter board member of the Obion County Emergency Communications District (911), currently serving as the Board's Chairman and serves as President of the Industrial Development Corporation of the Town of Troy.  Mark has a private pilot's license, loves fishing and he is a avid amateur photographer.

His affection for the fire service began at an early age as he and Mike, his twin brother, responded to fires with their father when they were so small that they had to watch from the safety of their father's pick-up truck, and sometimes from the safety of the fire truck.  Mark said, "In my lifetime, I've been to over a 1,000 fires.   I don't really remember how young me and Mike were when daddy starting taking us to fires, but from what I understand, daddy was not really all that big on changing diapers so I'm pretty sure we were, at least, old enough we weren't wearing diapers anymore.   Quite often , someone will ask me how long have I been on the fire department and my standard answer is: I was born on it--which is not really all that far from being the truth."

Chief Watson is a State Certified Fire Fighter I and State Certified Fire Fighter II through the Tennessee State Fire Fighting Commission and is certified by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) as a Hazmat Operations Level responder.

A Message From The Chief:

I certainly consider it a great honor to have been afforded the opportunity to serve as Troy's  Fire Chief after my father's retirement.  As I think back about the Troy Fire Department that was, I realize how fortunate that our town was to have been served by the brave and dedicated individuals that built this department.  As I think about the Troy Fire Department that is, I realize how far we have come since the days when all we had was a hose cart.  And, when I think about the Troy Fire Department that will be, I am very optimistic about its future because I have grown to realize that while pretty red trucks and nice fire stations are something to certainly be proud of it is the brave and dedicated individuals called firemen, a supportive Mayor and Board of Aldermen and the nice people that live in Troy that make the department--all of which is very much alive in Troy!

I want to welcome you to our web site!  We have tried to design this web site so that you can take a virtual tour and learn all about our department, facility, equipment, and history.  If you, or your group, would like to schedule a visit to see our Fire Department, please feel free to contact us at (731) 536-6397 or e-mail us at Troy Fire Department.

Sincerely,

Mark Watson
Fire Chief