On Monday, Sept. 26 Athens city council appointed James Hand as Fire Chief.

His role will be effective for the first pay period in October. Hand has been serving as the department’s fire marshal for about nine years.

“He has served as an interim before,” Mayor Ronnie Marks said. “We feel great about his appointment. City council was unanimous and we look forward to getting him on board.”

Hand served as interim from May of 2020 to January of 2021 in between the retirement of then Chief Bryan Thornton and the hiring of Al Hogan. Hogan left the department in July.

“I’m just excited to serve this community and it’s a great department to work for,” Hand said. “Looking forward to getting settled in.”

He might be settling into a role that was once just temporary but he’s been a part of Athens Fire and Rescue for more than 20 years. He has served as a firefighter, driver, inspector and of course fire marshal.