Deputy Chief Janene Schmidt began her fire service career as a volunteer in Berkeley County in 1992. With the exception of a short season focused on completing her MBA, building her professional career, and raising her family, she has remained actively involved with Pine Ridge Fire Rescue for nearly 25 years.

Throughout her service, she advanced through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer, and Lieutenant in Operations. Early in her career, she was honored as both Rookie of the Year and Firefighter of the Year and consistently ranked among the department’s top call responders as an on-call volunteer.

Deputy Chief Schmidt was certified as a Hazardous Materials Technician and completed specialized CBRNE training as a member of the county COBRA (HazMat) Team. Her additional training includes Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Fire Instructor, Search & Rescue and wildland firefighting. 

On the Administrative side, she is trained as a Juvenile Fire Setting interventionist and Public Information Officer (PIO). She is certified as a Fire Officer 3 and has led the Fire Marshals Office as Resident State Fire Marshal and IAAI-FIT(c). 

In addition to her fire service work, Deputy Chief Schmidt built a distinguished career in Accounting and Business Administration. She maintains her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and previously held credentials including Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Private Investigator (PI). Her financial and administrative expertise now directly supports the operational and fiscal management of the consolidated department.

In 2016, she moved into a part-time headquarters role to expand her administrative leadership. As the region experienced rapid growth in Nexton, Cane Bay, and Carnes Crossroads, she played a key role in securing and managing staffing increases made possible through a 2018 county fire fee adjustment and a 2019 FEMA SAFER Grant. In late 2021, her position was transitioned to full-time to meet the increasing operational and administrative demands of the growing organization.

Deputy Chief Schmidt previously led the Administrative Division, overseeing the Fire Marshal’s Office, Community Risk Reduction, Finance, and Administration. Today, following consolidation efforts, she focuses on financial strategy and oversight for South Berkeley Fire District. She also serves as the lead fire investigator and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator in support of the department’s mission to protect life and property.