Dawson County Fire Chief Lanier Swafford is resigning from his position effective Friday.
In a telephone interview, Swafford told AccessWDUN it is time for a change.
"Recently the county administration chose to go in a new direction, a change in leadership," Swafford said. "After giving proper notice, I've decided I want to explore new opportunities."
County Manager David Headley confirmed via email that Swafford had tendered his resignation. While Swafford at one time had served as both fire chief and emergency management director for the county, he was removed from the EMS position in January. Headley did not offer details on why Swafford's role changed.
"Chief Swafford at his request was demoted to Fire Chief," Headley wrote in the email. "It was his choice to resign."
Swafford first became a volunteer firefighter for Dawson County in 1989, becoming Fire Chief in 1997 and EMS Director in 2015.
Swafford said he will likely seek work that continues his career in public service of some sort.
Danny Thompson assumes the post of EMS Director starting Monday.
AccessWDUN's B.J. Williams contributed to this story.
