James W. Whitmire officially became the new fire marshal for the Chattanooga Fire Department at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.
Fire Marshal Whitmire is a 25-year veteran of the department who rose through the ranks from firefighter to lieutenant in the operations division, to captain of the fire investigation division and internal affairs.
For him, being promoted to fire marshal means he has reached the pinnacle of his career. "It's a great opportunity to serve in such an important position in this department," he said. "I've inherited a great staff and that will come in handy because we intend to hit the ground running."
As fire marshal, he will oversee operations in fire prevention, fire investigation, water supply, plans review and records.