James Fortner currently serves as a a member of the Board of Trustees. He has been involved in the volunteer fire service since joining the Bays Springs Fire Department in Mississippi in 1987. After moving to Arlington in late 1991, he joined the Arlington Volunteer Fire Department in 1992 and served as its Chief for several years. He joined the FCVFD in late 2002. James has completed certifications in Firefighter II, Officer I, Instructor II, CPR Instructor, and Emergency Medical Technician. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University in Agricultural and Extension Education. In addition, he is qualified as a wildland firefighter and has deployed on fires in Virginia, West Virginia, Oregon and Idaho to assist the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and the U.S. Forest Service in both suppression efforts and incident management.
Following the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, James worked at the incident site for approximately eight days managing volunteer staffing to assist with the response and recovery efforts. In September 2005, James deployed as a member of a VDOF chainsaw crew to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to assist with recovery efforts following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina.While not working on fire department issues, James serves as the Emergency Response Training Coordinator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Homeland Security Office. He coordinates the delivery of incident command system (ICS) training for USDA employees and serves as the lead planner for USDA’s participation in national level exercises.
James has received notable recognition for his service, including the Outstanding Volunteer Award from Arlington County, 2001 Arlington Inter-Service Club Council “Man of the Year” Award, and the 2001 USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for his service at the Pentagon following the September 11, 2001 attack.James currently resides in Arlington County with his wife Charlsia and two children.