Whitfield fire chief retires

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

May 10—Whitfield County Fire Chief Edward O'Brien has announced his retirement after a decade at the helm of the fire department.

Asked what prompted O'Brien to step down, Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen said, "Grandkids! They offered something we couldn't match at the county."

This is actually O'Brien's second retirement. He retired in 2013 after more than 27 years with DeKalb County Fire Rescue, the last four as chief.

"I put in a full career with DeKalb County, but I'm 49 years old and really not ready to give up firefighting," O'Brien said in 2014 when asked why he came out of retirement. "I was looking for a nice place for my wife and I to move to. This is a beautiful place, a good area, a good county and a good department."

O'Brien is only the third chief in the department's history.

Jensen praised O'Brien's contributions to the fire department.

"Chief O'Brien has had a long and distinguished career," Jensen said. "I am so proud that he chose to finish his career at Whitfield County. We benefited greatly from his leadership and experience as the county fire department continually improved. This improvement is evident in many areas, but one that benefits citizens and the firefighters is our ISO Class 3 ranking achieved under his leadership."

During O'Brien's time as chief the county's Insurance Services Office rating went down from a 5 to a 3 in almost all parts of the county. The ISO rates fire departments on a scale of 1 to 10, the lower the better. Some insurance companies use those ratings, in part, to determine homeowners' insurance rates.

"There were many other accomplishments of our fire department in recent years, too many to list," said Jensen. "I will personally miss him and wish him a joyful retirement."

O'Brien will remain with the department, assisting with the search for for a permanent chief.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on an interim fire chief when the commissioners meet Monday at 6 p.m. in the meeting room of the county courthouse. The meeting will be livestreamed on the county's Facebook and YouTube pages.