New GA Chief: Firefighter Retention a Priority

ATHENS, GA—A battalion chief from DeKalb County Fire Rescue in Georgia, who will start as chief of Athens Fire and Rescue in about a month, said Tuesday that retaining personnel presents a challenge for public safety agencies nationwide.

The Athens City Council, at its meeting Monday night, voted 5-0 to hire Albert Hogan Jr., who has worked with DeKalb County Fire Rescue for 23 years.

Hogan said he's looking forward to the opportunity to lead the Athens department. "Athens is the place that is the right fit, and it will be a nice change of pace," he said. Hogan's battalion has five stations and 38 personnel. Athens Fire and Rescue has 42 certified firefighters and an administrative assistant, and three stations.

He said there are "no major changes I see immediately" for Fire and Rescue. "I'm not the type of person who makes changes immediately."

Hogan, whose official retirement date from DeKalb is Feb. 28, said he wants to get familiar with the Athens department and its personnel and the community. He will begin the process of transitioning to Athens, which includes searching for a home.

"My intention as of right now is to start on March 1," said Hogan, 51.

"It's a nationwide problem — retention of public safety personnel," he said, with people leaving for other agencies or private-sector jobs with better pay and benefits, among other factors.

"Firefighting is a calling," he said. "Those who truly want to be a firefighter will make a career out of it."

In an effort to attract and retain personnel, the Athens City Council last year approved a public safety pay plan presented by Mayor Ronnie Marks that increased starting pay for the police and fire departments and included increases across all steps of the pay scale. The starting base pay increased by $6,000 yearly for police and by $3,000 for firefighters.

"Anything you can do, it helps," Hogan said. The pay measure adopted by the city "just goes to show they're serious about public safety" and those agencies' employees.

Hogan started as a firefighter with DeKalb, became fire captain in 2006 and then battalion chief in 2016. He has served on that department's Hazardous Materials Team, Hazardous Materials Decontamination Team, Accreditation Committee and other committees. He received a bachelor's degree in fire administration from Columbia Southern University.

Hogan will make $96,000 per year in the Athens position.

James Hand, the fire marshal for Athens Fire and Rescue, has been interim chief since May, when then-Fire Chief Bryan Thornton retired. Marks praised Hand's guidance, especially during the city's budget process last year and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We'll work together for a good transition," he said at the council meeting. — Other actions

The council also approved at its meeting a $10,000 appropriation for the Limestone County Children's Advocacy Center. Becky Bentley, the center's executive director, appealed to the council last month for $8,000 in funding. The council had earlier approved $465,600 in special appropriations for various organizations for fiscal 2021, leaving a budget surplus of $19,884.

Councilman Frank Travis proposed the $10,000 allocation, saying the council would be "negligent" if it didn't appropriate the money for the center. It provides free counseling and other services to victims of child abuse and neglect and to children who witness domestic violence and violent crimes.

A woman addressed the council last month whose 12-year-old son witnessed the fatal shooting of his father in May and has benefited from one-on-one counseling at the center.

"This will be money well spent," said Dana Henry, another council member.

In other business, the council gave its approval for the city to apply for a $750,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and a $500,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to use for extending sewer to the Buc-ee's project site. A 53,000-square-foot Buc-ee's travel center is planned for the southeast corner of Huntsville-Brownsferry Road and Interstate 65. Other retail developments are expected to be built in that area.

The city's cash match for the project would be $ 2,826,160, if the grants are awarded.

The council also authorized Marks to enter into a contract, in an amount not to exceed $250,000, with Franklin, Tennessee-based Town Planning & Urban Design Collaborative to update the city's master plan.

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