EASTMAN, Ga. — The fire department in Eastman is missing a pair of chiefs at the moment, but the firefighters are still chugging along.
The two men, Chief Scotty Whitten and assistant Chief Johnny Howell. Despite their absence, the fire department is still answering around 100 to 120 calls a month.
Spence Baron is the city manager of Eastman. He said he's seen the fire department's recent leadership gap, and hopes interim fire chief Derl Maxwell will be able to help.
"Derl has really been thrown in the fire," Baron said. "He is working a shift himself. He's coming in every other day, 8-10 hours trying to keep paperwork moving, keeping reports moving (and) keeping the schedules going."
Derl Maxwell said he's honored to be interim chief and likes the challenge of it. He knows the fire department well, after being promoted to lieutenant two years ago.
"It's been a challenge for sure," Maxwell said. "It kind of went from first gear to fifth gear and we skipped second, third, and fourth, so I put in a lot of hours dedicated to coming in to make sure everything stays where it is at."
Maxwell said he wants the best for the fire department. The department is training for situations such as operating without an active fire chief. He said he's training his firefighters to know how to step into a leadership position if they might need to.
Maxwell said he's excited to lead his team and to help make his department even better.
The fire department is still looking to hire more firefighters and first responders if you're interested call the Eastman Fire Department at 478-374-3431.