Janie Settles was the the first African-American female rescue chief in North Carolina.
By the mid-1970s Johnson and her husband decided to relocate to Topsail Island in Onslow County.
At the time Topsail Island had no organized fire or rescue department and Johnson felt one was needed because the population was growing continuously.
She worked with town and county leaders during the late 1970s to build a case based on population, tourism, and growth to establish a dedicated 24 hour fire and rescue department.
In 1982, the Town of West Onslow Beach (now North Topsail Beach), in conjunction with Onslow County Emergency Management, established the department and in 1984 Johnson became rescue chief of the West Onslow Beach Fire and Rescue Department and consequently the first African American female rescue chief in North Carolina.
