Jeffrey W. Thompson, a 35-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, has been chosen as the City’s new Fire Commissioner by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
“I’m thrilled to announce that one of Philly’s own will be joining the Parker Administration,” the Mayor said during a ceremony at the Fire Administration Building on June 17. “I believe we have found and appointed exactly who we need to lead our Fire Department – Jeffrey Thompson. Under his leadership, our medics and firefighters will continue to provide dedicated service to those who live, work and play in Philadelphia.”
Thompson succeeds Acting Commissioner Craig Murphy, who recently retired. Murphy had served as Acting Commissioner since January 2024, when Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel resigned to serve as the City’s Managing Director.
“I’m honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead this amazing department. We have roots dating back to 1736…so the magnitude of this honor is not lost on me,” said Commissioner Thompson. “When my kids were younger, we had a motivational poster in our home which reads: ‘Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.’ I’m absolutely prepared, but I know that success will only come with the full support of the more than 3,000 dedicated, skillful, and brave members of this department. Those men and women do the hard work – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. I’m confident we’ll have a bright future as long as we’re all working together.”
Thompson is a native Philadelphian who was raised in Germantown. He attended Murrell Dobbins Tech High School and Penn State University, and he received a B.S. in Emergency Management from Thomas Jefferson University. Thompson joined the PFD in 1989 as a member of Cadet Class 162, and has since served as a Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, Executive Chief, adjunct instructor at the Fire Academy, Special Investigations Officer, Deputy Fire Commissioner, and 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner.
The PFD has been part of Commissioner Thompson’s life since childhood, as his dad was a firefighter who retired in 1988 after 25 years of dedicated service. Thompson is married with two adult daughters.
