About The Author
Meet the Author
Charles Danny Maree
Charles Maree grew up in Miami’s Overtown and Liberty City housing projects during the 1960s. Locked inside his mother’s “soul-crushing iron security door” for safety, he witnessed neighborhood riots firsthand and attended segregated schools before desegregation shifted him to Miami Springs Junior High. After dropping out, he earned his high school diploma at 21 through night classes at Carol City Senior High while working multiple jobs, from busboy to ambulance attendant.
Firefighting Career
Joining the Miami Fire Department in 1979, Maree served 30 years as:
- Paramedic/firefighter (saving infants, overdose victims, and riot casualties)
- Hazardous Materials Commander (self-trained at Station 3)
Charles Danny Maree
Author :
Charles Danny Maree
- Chief Fire Officer (youngest in Florida history at 36)
- EMS Chief (implemented multilingual consent forms)
- Assistant Fire Chief (overseeing 80,000+ annual emergency calls)
He retired in 2011 as the highest-ranking Black officer in a department where only four minorities had broken the “god” barrier in 100 years.
Education & Advocacy
Jobs and work didn’t stop Danny from pursuing his passion for learning. While advancing his fire career, Maree pursued:
- Associate’s in Emergency Medical Services (Miami-Dade, 1996)
- Bachelor’s in Public Administration
- Master’s in Management (Saint Thomas University)
He privately trained Black firefighters for promotion that resulted in a historic wave of Black captains in 2008.
Later Life
Since 2011, Maree has volunteered full-time at Camillus House, distributing mail to Miami’s homeless. He credits his journey to “breaking huge boulders into small pebbles”, a mindset nourished under his grandmother’s switch, Uncle Ted’s abuse, and professional sabotage.