Louisville Fire Dept. Deputy Chief, Robert Hutto, has been promoted to the rank of Fire Chief to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Chief Johnnie Roy Haynes. The promotion became effective on June 4. Hutto is originally from Fort Myers, FL, and moved with his family to Mississippi at the age of 10, where they lived in Starkville, Louisville and Sturgis, but settled in Ackerman by the time he was in middle school. Hutto graduated high school in Ackerman in 2003. He has three years of military service, having enlisted when he was 17 years old, only a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and attended boot camp in the summer between his junior and senior high school years, and remained in the military for three years. Hutto stated that it was a great experience and credits it for making him the man he is today. After the military Hutto worked for DirecTV, but said that there seemed to be something missing in his life, as he was no longer serving his country or community, and considered either reenlisting or joining the fire service. It was in late 2008 when then-Fire Chief, Mike Stevenson, offered him an opportunity as a volunteer firefighter, and Hutto said that he regained the ‘sense of service’ that he had been missing. In June 2009, a full-time slot came open that set Hutto on his career path. Under the leadership of Chief Johnnie Roy Haynes, he served as Training Officer and assisted in writing grants which afforded him invaluable experience. During that time the department was restructured which included a standardized rank structure, pay scale, and Standard Operating Policy and Procedures. Hutto, who has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Service from Columbia Southern University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Administration from Waldorf University, was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2018. His goals for the department are to increase the availability of training, to be more involved in the State Task Force, and to grow the department in personnel and equipment, and to be more visible in the community in a positive way. Hutto added that he appreciates the support and looks forward to things to come. He and his wife of 15 years, Casey, have three children, Robert, Racheal, and Samantha.
