CORNELIA — Cornelia Fire Chief Chad Dyer resigned Wednesday morning following his arrest at a fire scene late Tuesday night.
Dyer was charged by a Habersham County deputy sheriff with driving under the influence after arriving at a fire scene inside the city in his city-owned vehicle.
Dyer was issued a DUI citation after registering a 0.144 blood alcohol concentration and was booked in at the Habersham County Detention Center. He was released on a $1,500 bond Wednesday morning.
A career firefighter for nearly a quarter century with an otherwise exemplary record, Dyer had served as Cornelia fire chief since June 2017. Prior to that, he served as assistant fire chief for the city.
“It is a very unfortunate lapse in judgment on his part and I want the public to know that during his 23-year career with the city there have been no issues concerning his work performance,” Cornelia City Manager Donald Anderson said in a written statement.
“Chad has done an exceptional job as our fire chief since his appointment last year and I wish him luck in his future endeavors,” Anderson’s statement reads. “He did tender his resignation with me on Wednesday morning. We met for about an hour, during which he apologized profusely. We discussed the state of the department because we are set up for an ISO inspection on Nov. 20.”
Anderson said Friday the department will continue to function with the leaders it has in place until a permanent chief is named.
“Because of the exceptional firefighters and officers that we have, the fire department will continue to operate and provide our citizens with a high level of service,” Anderson said. “Assistant Fire Chief Billy Jenkins has been appointed as the interim chief until a permanent chief can be named.”
The Cornelia City Commission’s monthly work session will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the city commission meeting at 6 p.m.
“Since the city commission has no involvement in personnel decisions, there will not be a discussion about the fire department at Tuesday’s meeting,” Anderson said.
