After less than a month on the job, Eufaula’s first fulltime fire chief has resigned.
Greg Carmack was volunteer fire chief in Checotah when Eufaula hired him to become the city’s first full time fire chief on July 17.
Checotah brought him back on Aug. 13, sweetening the pot.
According to a press release by Checotah, Carmack will also serve as the city’s Emergency Manager, filling the role formerly held by Marcus Cunningham, who recently transitioned to the private sector.
Mayor Daniel Tarkington said Carmack will also assist in overseeing the city’s ambulance service, Checotah EMS, on at least a short-term basis, with the potential for eventual integration of EMS with the Fire Department under the banner of Checotah Fire and Rescue.
“However, any such change would still be a few years away, if deemed feasible and endorsed by the city council,” Tarkington said. “In the coming months, I’ll be working with Chief Carmack, our firemen and EMTs, and the city council to create a clearly defined long-term vision for the city’s emergency operations.
“We believe this hiring decision demonstrates our commitment to developing that vision.”
Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos said in the short time Carmack was on the job, he made a lot of valuable suggestions about ways to improve the department.
The search for another full-time fire chief has already begun.
“We are starting back from scratch,” he said.
There were several qualified applicants who were being considered when Carmack was chosen, but Foos doesn’t know if any of them are still available.
“It’s been over a month,” he said.
Carmack replaced volunteer fire chief Chad French.
French, who worked as a volunteer with the department for almost 30 years, has retired.
Foos said assistant chiefs Jamie Upton and Josh Carey will run the department until another candidate is hired.
Carmack expressed gratitude for being hired by Eufaula: “I want to begin by saying thank you to the City of Eufaula for giving me the opportunity to serve as Fire Chief, even if only for a short time. Eufaula is a great community with wonderful people, and I wish them and their department nothing but the best going forward.
“I will welcome the opportunity to continue working with them to improve our county. This was just a unique opportunity, as Checotah is my hometown, and I’m thrilled to be back serving as the Fire Chief—this time in a full-time capacity— where I get to continue working with a truly great group of firemen who are devoted to selflessly serving their community. I look forward to beginning this new phase in my professional life, as well as being a part of a new era for the Checotah Fire Department.”
