St. Augustine Fire Chief Carlos Aviles has announced that Fire Safety Inspector Abby Pedigo was selected as the next fire marshal to succeed retiring Fire Marshal Robert “Bob” Growick, effective Feb. 23.
A St. Augustine native, Pedigo graduated from St. Augustine High School in 2008, and went on to complete her associates of arts in English from Santa Fe College in 2009. She graduated from Flagler College in 2017 with a bachelor of science in public administration.
Pedigo joined the St. Augustine Fire Department in November 2014 as a firefighter and paramedic.
“The office of the fire marshal plays a vital role in our overall mission, and with the position comes an immense amount of responsibility,” Aviles said. “Abby is a loyal and dedicated professional who embodies and lives by our core values. I am confident in her abilities to continue to lead the department forward and face the challenges of future growth and redevelopment.”
When asked about being selected as fire marshal, Pedigo said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my city in this capacity and humbled by the outpouring of support from my department and our city administration.”
In 2019, Pedigo was promoted to fire safety inspector, responsible for conducting fire and life safety inspections in businesses and short-term rentals, overseeing all public education, and reviewing building construction and engineering plans.
Among many other responsibilities as fire safety inspector, Pedigo also performed fire scene investigations, attended weekly special events and development review committee meetings, led firefighters on pre-fire tours in new construction, coordinated with other city departments and officials to enforce the city’s short-term rental ordinance, and served as a member of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Incident Management Team.