Little Rock Fire Chief Delphone Hubbard still has to correct himself when he says "we" in reference to the Memphis Fire Department.
Featured prominently on a bookshelf in his office is a pair of desk-top-size football helmets -- the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Memphis Tigers -- given to him by a former colleague as a going-away gift when he left the Bluff City last month, wrapping up 22 years there.
"You have to like the Razorbacks or pretend you do if you're going to fit in," the colleague told him when giving him the helmets.
On the bookshelf there's a picture of Hubbard and the battalion chiefs who were under his command in front of "I ❤️ Memphis" graffiti on his last day of work as a Memphis fire division chief. Then there's a Yeti tumbler with the Little Rock Fire Department seal and his name.
The mix of collectibles illustrates the transition of Hubbard's loyalty from one department to another. He started his new job as Little Rock's 14th fire chief last week, replacing Gregory Summers, who retired after eight years at the helm of the department.
A change-of-command ceremony Wednesday at the Robinson Center ballroom downtown officially recognized the new leader.
Hubbard's 6-foot-2 frame commands a room, even when he's surrounded by other firefighters in dress uniforms. But his height pales in comparison with his welcoming presence and full-face grin.
His face was stoic as he took his oath of office Wednesday. His wife teared up as she placed a pin on his jacket and Summers handed over a fire safety helmet, signaling the passing of responsibility.
But when it came time for Hubbard to take the lectern, he couldn't help but grin as at least two dozen of his former Memphis Fire Department colleagues hooted and hollered.
Hubbard likened the support to when people in Memphis cheered for the Razorbacks when the team won the national basketball championship in 1994 because there were three Memphians on the team.
"Memphis felt like we won a national championship -- a certain portion of us. Today I've got a group of people here from Memphis that's doing the same thing," he said.
In an interview beforehand, Summers said Hubbard came "highly recommended." Summers has spent the past week helping Hubbard transition into the new leadership role.
"I stayed away from trying to tell him how I think he should be as a fire chief because I think he's strong enough. Although he's not been a fire chief before, I think he's more than qualified to lead in that position. He's a very solid individual. There's no doubt in my mind that the Fire Department is going to continue on the successes we've had," Summers said.
Hubbard, 50, as a division chief in Memphis, supervised 33 of the city's 58 fire stations and was responsible for a $30 million segment of that Fire Department's budget. As head chief in Little Rock, he's responsible for the full $49 million department budget and is over all 23 of the city's fire stations.
He's taking control of a department that in the past two years became internationally accredited and gained an ISO 1 insurance rating -- something only 55 fire departments in the nation have attained. That's just 0.19 percent of the more than 29,000 fire departments in the U.S.
Still, Fire Department employees have brought to Hubbard's attention some areas they'd like to see addressed, namely the aging vehicle fleet. He said he plans to research the possibility of sending out smaller trucks in response to medical calls so that the firetrucks get less wear and tear.
He has a four-point plan that includes reviewing the fleet, creating a succession plan, doing a community safety assessment and focusing on firefighter safety.
During one-on-one meetings, Hubbard told each of his assistant chiefs and battalion chiefs not to trust him.
Asking them to do that would almost be rude, he explained.
"It'd be crazy to say 'trust me.' Just watch my actions ... I believe trust, respect and all of that is earned," Hubbard said to one of the men.
Multiple people describe Hubbard as a "people person." In a first-time meeting, he fills the silence with ease, pulling up a story from his memory that seems to fit the listener's areas of interest.
"He's a good guy. He knows how to treat people," said Tommy Moore, a retired battalion chief with the Memphis Fire Department who supervised Hubbard when the new chief was a lieutenant.
"He was a good leader, and he was always and is always going to be, a book man. He's going to do it the right way every time. It ain't going to be wrong. You ain't got to worry about him doing it wrong," Moore said.
If his office decorations are any indication of who he is, Hubbard is a firefighter, a sports fan, and a devoted husband and father.
Pictures of his wife, Ttosha, and three daughters -- Tia, 28; Zankiyyah, 27; and Demi, 12 -- scatter the shelves and end tables.
A centerpiece globe on a table that overlooks Chester and Seventh streets is engraved, "Dad thanks for giving us the world."
A 26-year-old Hubbard smiles in a picture on the wall framed with a photo of his graduating fire academy class.
Adjacent to that wall is a sign: "Steelers fans welcome. Others not allowed."
He told one of the Little Rock battalion chiefs in their interview this week that he could often be found in the stands of a high school football or basketball game.
"That's my relief right there. Find me a spot in the stands on a Friday night. ... I could watch game after game ... It's just, like, peaceful," he said.
Earlier in the conversation he recalled one of the worst days of his career. It was 2 a.m. in April 2016. He was with other firefighters at the hospital when he learned that their colleague had died from fire injuries. He was given the task of notifying the man's wife.
"I don't want to do that again," he said.
Firefighter safety will be one of his main focuses as chief, he said, as well as his crew's health.
"PTSD, cancer, suicide are real in fire services and public safety work. We have to make sure we have the available resources for those individuals so they will always be ready to serve the citizens. We can't send damaged goods out to attempt to assist someone in need. They have to be prepared, and I'm concerned about that," he said.
As a salaried employee making $130,000 annually, Hubbard doesn't have set hours, but he generally worked 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in his first week on the job.
When his former boss, Moore, was asked to describe Hubbard's personality, he said: "It ain't a bad thing, but he's a workaholic. He's going to work. He's going to study. He's going to learn, and he's going to always push for progress. It's just him. He's going to give you all he's got."
Then Moore talked about the time Hubbard missed his own congratulatory dinner for becoming battalion chief because he took an overtime shift.
There are some noticeable similarities between Summers and Hubbard. Summers was Little Rock's first black fire chief. Hubbard is the second. Both pointed to their strong relationships with God in their speeches at the ceremony, and both talked about how irreplaceable the support of their wives has been.
Summers has no qualms about handing off the department to Hubbard.
"I feel good today," he said at the ceremony. "I feel tremendously good today."
Metro on 01/11/2018