New Chief Appointed at GA County Fire Department

A new chief has been appointed to lead Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services.

William T. Johnson was chosen to succeed Randy Crider as chief of the department with about 750 employees. Crider was appointed in May as the county’s public safety director after serving in the role on an interim basis since August 2019.

Johnson’s appointment was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Cobb County Commission. The new position comes with a salary of $155,928, county spokesman Ross Cavitt said.

Johnson, who got choked up while speaking after the appointment, told the audience he was grateful for the support he received from the fire department command staff and others from outside the agency.

“I’m very honored, humbled and I’m excited,” he said.

Johnson has been employed with Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services for more than 26 years. He began his career with the department as a firefighter and ascended the ranks to serve as one of three deputy fire chiefs in the department.

Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University and is a graduate of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. He also graduated in 2019 from Leadership Cobb.

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