Smyrna to vote on appointing new fire chief

Aug. 13—Smyrna plans to confirm its new fire chief during Monday's City Council meeting.

The council will vote on appointing Brian Marcos, deputy chief of the city's fire department, as chief following the retirement of Roy Acree, who served as Smyrna fire chief since 2014. Marcos has served as the city's interim chief since July 31.

The mayor and council determined a search for a new chief would not be needed during an executive session and decided on Marcos for the job, according to city spokesperson Jennifer Bennett.

"He served as the deputy fire chief and Brian has performed well above expectations in that role," said City Administrator Joe Bennett. "He's been through Leadership Cobb, he's very active in the community and I think he is probably the best one for the job."

Marcos has been with the department since 2006. Promoted to lieutenant in 2010, Marcos became deputy chief in 2014, according to his biography on the city's website.

He was awarded 2020 Chief Fire Officer of the Year by the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, the same year he was named to Cobb Life Magazine's "20 under 40" and in 2021 was named one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Marcos serves as the Georgia State Director for the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs.

"I've been very fortunate," Marcos said of his time with the Smyrna Fire Department. "The fire service and the leadership within the fire department has certainly shaped me and I've had terrific friends and family around me throughout my career that have helped guide me."

Marcos told the MDJ his eight years as deputy chief under Acree have prepared him to take on the top job, and he is grateful to the mayor and City Council members for entrusting him to lead the department.

"I'm honored and I feel that having the confidence and the trust of our mayor and our elected body and our city leadership is great," Marcos said. "Just having that type of support is energizing for not just myself but I think for the entire department."

One of his priorities as chief will be heightening "community risk reduction, which really deals with more of, how do we plan and prepare and assist the community for never having to call 911," Marcos said. "So, having a proactive approach to serving the community rather than just reacting to the emergency services."

Marcos is also excited about professional development, noting "new challenges every day" will require the department's firefighters to acquire new skills and competencies to tackle those challenges.

Marcos' third priority is "continuous quality improvement" to ensure the department is best serving the needs of Smyrna residents.

"I'm excited to kind of evaluate us from the inside out on making sure that the taxpayer's getting the most value out of their fire department."

Marcos said he looks forward to building upon the work of his predecessors and engaging the fire department in Smyrna's economic and community development projects when he officially installed Monday.

"It's gonna be exciting, what's ahead."