Photograph of Chief William (Bill) Fields, Jr. Narrating Fire Safety Demonstration

Pictured here is Chief William (Bill) Fields, Jr., narrating a fire safety demonstration to visitors at a Worthington Division of Fire & EMS Open House. Behind him is a contained fire to show how quickly fires spread.

Chief Fields grew up in Worthington. He graduated from Worthington High School in 1970 and was co-captain of the football team, for which he received an award of honorable mention.

In 1978, he was hired as a firefighter with the Sharon Township Fire Department/Worthington Division of Fire & EMS, where he was promoted to captain and then battalion chief. In 1985, he was awarded Firefighter of the Year by the American Legion Leasure-Blackston Post 239. In 2009, he received the Citizen's Distinguished Service Award from the Columbus Division of Fire for his life-saving efforts at an automobile accident on April 18, 2009. He retired in 2012 after 34 years of service.

In addition to his service with the fire department, Chief Fields was a head trustee and lifelong member of the St. John A.M.E. Church. He contributed his time and knowledge to the efforts to have the church building at 682 Plymouth Street designated with an Ohio Historical Marker, which it was in October, 2023.

In a May 7, 2024 Instagram post honoring him, the City of Worthington shared:

“Chief Fields grew up in Worthington and made service to his community his vocation. In addition to his primary firefighting duties, Chief Fields was extremely passionate about hazardous materials response. He was key in expansion of the Northwest Area Strike Team (NAS-T) from a regional fire investigation cooperative to a multi-agency hazardous materials resource.

These and many other accomplishments made him a well-known figure in central Ohio emergency services circles, as well as the Worthington community. We are grateful for having known him and for his willingness to share his many talents as part of our fire service family.”