Mayor Darren Mussewhite called Fire Capt. Jimmy Wiseman as the longest-tenured city employee in Southaven history.
Wiseman is set to retire from the Fire Department after 43 years and seven months with the department.
Wiseman began volunteering with the Southaven Fire Department in August, 1980 shortly after graduating from Southaven High School. He was hired full-time on May 23, 1981 and quickly promoted to a Driver/Operator position. He served in that role for 6 years before being promoted to Lieutenant in 1987 where he served for nine years before being promoted to Captain in 1996. The captain position is a high-ranking leadership position in the department that carries tremendous responsibility.
In a blog post on the city website, Musselwhite said Wiseman “has played a key role in leading our men and women through revolutionary changes as our city has experienced monumental growth and change during his career.”
The mayor added Wiseman is a specialist in rope rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, swift water rescue, structural collapse and smoke diving. Wiseman is also a Certified Advanced Rescue Specialist which has qualified him to serve with Mississippi Task Force One for the last 10 years, an elite unit that travels to assist other areas with specialized rescue and support during natural disasters.
