'Nail'ed it: Palm Bay announces new fire chief

As fireworks lit up the sky and some Palm Bay brush one Fourth of July in the early ‘90s, newly minted firefighter Russell 'Rusty' Nail helped douse the flames overnight.

Then, with the rising sun as a backdrop, a woman appeared, sprinting toward the fire station screaming her husband was unresponsive. After a full night of fighting fires, the first-responders resuscitated the man.

“Just to be able to fight fires and save lives, that’s what our job is all about,” Nail said. “I got a full run that July 4th night.”

Nail will be sworn in Tuesday evening during the Palm Bay City Council meeting as the city's fire chief, according to a city news release. He said he'll be paid $97,000 annually.

"As a previous Palm Bay Fire Rescue member, his passion and empathy to serve the community as the fire chief was evident throughout the selection process, and he was unanimously recommended by the selection panel," said City Manager Gregg Lynk.

Although it's a name people likely won't soon forget: “I am Rusty Nail. There’s nothing special to it,” he said.

Nail takes over from Jim Stables, who has served as fire chief for Palm Bay since November 2011. Stables accepted a position as fire chief in Johnson City, Tennessee, he said.

“I’ve been here since 1986. I couldn’t be happier to see a fire chief of Rusty’s caliber come in and take this position,” Stables said.

The now 47-year-old Nail launched his firefighting career in Brevard County over 20 years ago. In the early ‘90s, Nail began as a volunteer firefighter for Palm Bay and was hired on the emergency response team a year later. He spent many years with the Orlando Fire Department. His experience volunteering cemented his career aspirations, he said.

“I worked my first save on a citizen and it was very rewarding. I got a lot of gratification from that experience,” Nail said. “It was for an unresponsive adult male. He had no vital signs, so we started CPR and we were able to get a rhythm.”

Nail has served in many leadership positions since, with roles ranging from a fire truck driver and engineer to lieutenant and deputy chief.

“I’ve always challenged myself in every position along the way,” Nail said. “And when I’ve mastered those challenges, I look to move up. It’s my way to serve on a higher capacity ... and do the best I can to serve the public.”

Nail plans to make the Fire Department more efficient, using GPS, mapping and modeling devices to help improve response times, he said.

His most anticipated aspect of his new role? The introduction between the staff and their new fire chief.

“The most important thing I’m looking forward to is the next three days, where I’ll be going out and meeting the employees one-on-one and sitting down with them and getting to know them,” Nail said.