Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today announced Jonathan Jones as the next S.C. State Fire Marshal at the Firefighters Association’s Annual Luncheon on the State House grounds.

Jones has 22 years of experience in emergency response training and operations. He has spent the last 15 years with the Clarendon County Fire Department, and has served as the Deputy Chief of Operations for the Clarendon County Fire Department since 2014.

“We are fortunate to have such a talented group of professionals in this state willing to commit to saving our lives and property and willing to risk their own in order to do that,” Gov. McMaster said of firefighters across the state. “Fortunately, we have a new Fire Marshal in Jonathan Jones who has stood every test, who knows his business and has the trust of his colleagues.”

A former president of the S.C. State Firefighters Association, Jones has spent his entire career serving South Carolina in fire and emergency response. He is a member of the S.C. Firefighters’ Hall of Fame and a recipient of the S.C. Fire Service Educator of the Year award and the Meritorious Action Award.

The S.C. State Fire Marshal serves over the Fire and Life Safety Division of the SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and is responsible for oversight of the state's 208 acre Fire Academy, the statewide Emergency Response Task Force, and state fire safety regulations.