Firefighting trumped football for new Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley

When new Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley was a wide receiver on Delta State University's football team, he faced a choice: drive to Dallas to take the city firefighter recruit test or stick with team practice.

He chose the former and it ended his football career.

He looks back and knows he made the right decision. McKinley spent 28 years with the Dallas Fire and Rescue Department, rising to assistant chief before being hired last fall as Cincinnati's fire chief.

McKinley joined The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast to talk about his path to Cincinnati and why the chief's job is so important to him.

McKinley replaced former Fire Chief Michael Washington, who was fired last March after Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long said Washington created a hostile work environment for female firefighters and then failed to respond to orders that the culture be fixed. Washington is suing the city, alleging he was drummed out of office by Long without "prior warning." The suit also says the charges were a "grab bag" of "purported charges" that aren't true.

McKinley said he spent his first 100 days assessing the department's needs and has already visited the department's 26 firehouses. He's surveying what the department's roughly 900 employees think of the culture.

McKinley already counts himself as a Cincinnati Bengals fan and joked he brought his cleats to Cincinnati with him − just in case.

"I love to go run some routes and I actually throw the ball too," McKinley said.

Miss last week's episode? No problem. Listen here. Follow Cincinnati.com editor Beryl Love on X @beryllove and City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge @SharonCoolidge.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meet new Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley