(Greenville, GA) – The Meriwether County Board of Commissioners is pleased to announce the selection of a new leadership team for Meriwether County Fire Rescue naming Alan Smith as the new Fire Chief and Danny Stephens as Assistant Fire Chief.
Chief Smith comes to Meriwether County with a very extensive background in the Fire and EMS industry with his most recent employment being with The Georgia Firefighters Standards and Training Council as a Compliance and Evaluation Manager. Prior to that Chief Smith had a long career with Coweta County Fire Department in which he climbed through the ranks starting as a firefighter in 1985 and during his tenure he served as a Battalion Captain, Commander and Assistant Chief until his retirement in 2016 before starting his career with The Georgia Firefighters Standard and Training Council.
Chief Smith has a long list of certifications to include Fire Officer 4, NPQ Evaluator Procter, Live Fire Instructor, Instructor 2, EMT-Intermediate, Firefighter 2, NPQ Fire Inspector, Emergency Vehicle Operation Course Instructor, and Hazard Materials Technician.
Assistant Chief Stephens, a lifelong resident of Meriwether County, also comes to the department with a rich background in fire services, particularly in the area of training and volunteer operations. Assistant Chief Stephens most recent employment was with The Georgia Public Safety Training Center Fire Academy for the last 4 years in which he has held the positions of Captain of Volunteer Training and Assistant Chief of Operations. Prior to his tenure with the Fire Academy he served the citizens of Manchester as a career fireman for 9 years.
Assistant Chief Stephens has also successfully completed numerous training certifications to include Structural Fire Control Instructor, NPQ Evaluator, Pressurized Live Fire Instructor, Fire Instructor II, and Firefighter II. Chief Stephens has also served as a Volunteer Firefighter for many years with Meriwether County.
The County posted the fire chief opening in June and received numerous applications from qualified candidates. A hiring panel was formed, and six candidates were selected for the interview process. Following the interview process the panel made a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners of Alan Smith as Fire Chief and Danny Stephens as Assistant Fire Chief. Ultimately, the Board of Commissioners felt that Chief Smith and Chief Stephens blend of skills and community knowledge would best serve the Meriwether County Fire Department and the community.
Chief Smith and Chief Stephens are scheduled to start their duties on September 1st , 2020.