Derrick Sherrell to serve as Gadsden's interim fire chief

The Gadsden Fire Department has an interim chief.

Derrick Sherrell, a 30-year veteran of the department, officially moved into that role on Oct. 4.

He takes over from Wil Reed, who stepped down as chief to become executive director of Etowah County 911 .

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According to a news release, the permanent chief’s position will be posted by the city’s Human Resources Department for at least 30 days to ensure all possible qualified candidates have a chance to apply.

Gadsden’s Civil Service Board will actually make the hire.

Sherrell was named assistant chief in 2021; the position subsequently was renamed to battalion chief.

Before that, he was the department’s drug coordinator and acting Emergency Medical Services chief, according to the release. He worked as a firefighter and an ambulance paramedic earlier in this career.

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Mayor Craig Ford thanked Reed “for his 27 years of service to the people of Gadsden,” and Sherrell “for stepping in to fill the gap” and run the department’s day-to-day operations while the search for a permanent chief moves forward.

“This is a critical position overseeing a department of more than 100 line personnel, seven fire stations, a training academy, a fire prevention bureau, hazmat responses, search and rescue, and more,” the mayor said.

“With most of our calls being for emergency medical services, the people of Gadsden depend on our fire department and its leadership to provide excellent, highly organized, and professional services in a moment’s notice,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with the men and women of our department during this transition, and hope the Civil Service Board will be able to select the best possible candidate to the fire chief position in the next few months.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Derrick Sherrell to serve as Gadsden's interim fire chief