Coweta County has a new fire marshal. The recent retirement of Fire Marshal Jimmy Gantt was followed March 3 by the appointment of former fire inspector/investigator Blaine Shirley to his new role.
“I have learned a great deal about this office from having been fortunate enough to work with two previous fire marshals prior to their retirements,” said Shirley. “I look forward to continuing my career with the fire department in this position and I will work hard to maintain the professionalism and integrity that is expected of this office.”
Shirley began his career with the Coweta County Fire Department on May 1987 as a full-time fire fighter and was promoted to the rank of captain in August of 1992, working as a shift captain doing supervisory duties for several stations and the personnel assigned to those stations, said Coweta County Communications Manager Tom Corker.
In November 2009, Shirley was transferred into the Coweta County Fire Marshal’s Office and assumed the role of fire inspector/investigator after Jimmy Gantt was promoted to the fire marshal’s position in 2010, Corker said.
In his position with the fire marshal’s office, Shirley performed many duties including annual fire safety inspections, public fire safety presentations, inspections on new construction and plan reviews and fire investigations.
Shirley was promoted to the position on March 3 after Gantt’s retirement at the end of February.
