GAINESVILLE – Hall County Fire and Emergency Services plans to merge two recently vacated Division Chief positions into one position, complete with a new title: Deputy Chief of Preparedness.
According to the county, “… combining the two vacant positions with additional supervisory duties will bring department leadership into a more balanced and performing state…”
Recently the Division Chief of Training resigned and the Division Chief of Safety and Special Operations transferred to another department leaving the two positions vacant.
Hall County Fire Chief Chris Armstrong told members of the Hall County Board of Commissioners at their work session Monday afternoon, “We were able to consolidate two positions into one. The Deputy Chief of Preparedness will be hired to oversee our training division, special operations, logistics and the Fire Marshal’s Office.”
According to county documents submitted with the request the new position provides a $110,000 annual salary plus an additional $47,681 in benefits. Armstrong said after the work session that the move saves the county a little bit of money: “It’s one less person that we have to hire to do the work.”
Armstrong said a candidate for the new position had been selected but declined to name the individual as the county commission won’t approve the new position until its voting session Thursday evening.
