Gordon County names Doug Ralston fire chief

Gordon County leaders this week named a fire chief they say has worked his way through the ranks and understands the importance of the county’s volunteer force.

Chief Doug Ralston is replacing David Hawkins, who retired in September. He was chosen from a field of more than 20 applicants. The Gordon County Board of Commissioners approved Ralston’s appointment to the post at its public meeting Tuesday night.

County Administrator John King said Gordon County advertised the fire chief opening in September.

“We organized a selection committee that included stakeholders from the sheriff’s department, from the city fire department,” King said. “We had a volunteer firefighter there and we also had a representative from the Bartow County Fire Department and from the Gordon County EMS, so this position is really important. We wanted to make sure we had a good, broad section of the stakeholders, the folks that are actually going to be working with our fire chief.”

In October, county leaders organized the selection committee and collected applications and in November, conducted a first round of interviews. King said they had about 24 applicants, which included internal and external candidates.

The first task was to narrow the list to 12, who were interviewed in a first round.

“Based on the recommendations of the committee, we narrowed that down and did a second interview with five candidates,” King said. “From those five, we were able to make a selection. It was my selection, and I recommended Doug Ralston to the board of commissioners Tuesday night.”

Ralston has an associate’s degree in Management and Supervisory Development and holds numerous state and federal certifications. Since 1995, Ralston has served as a captain, lieutenant and firefighter/paramedic. A longtime resident of Gordon County, Ralston was promoted to battalion chief in 2012.

“Doug is a fully qualified firefighter. He’s worked his way up over the last 20 years through the ranks of Gordon County Fire Department, worked his way up from a firefighter paramedic to a lieutenant, a captain, a battalion chief,” King said. “He’s been there, he knows what it’s like to be a firefighter. He’s got the qualification that he needs. He understands our community, what’s important and probably the biggest thing that stood out is his genuine desire to build relationships with the city fire department, the sheriff’s department and also our volunteers.”

Residents of the far east and west sides of Gordon County depend heavily on volunteer firefighters, King said.

“On the far east and west sides of the county, we really don’t have response times from our full-time fire departments that are fast enough to protect property, so we’re almost totally reliant on volunteers from those areas,” King added. “I know Doug Ralston understands the importance of that and he presented a

good plan and a lot of ideas that he talked to me about that I think will really make a difference and improve the service delivery for fire and emergency services, not just locally, but in the far reaches of unincorporated areas of the county.

The number of volunteer firefighters in Gordon County has dropped significantly due in large part to national standards King said makes keeping volunteers difficult.

“I’ve talked to other administrators in surrounding counties, they’ve experienced the same thing and I believe it’s happened all across the country,” King said. “So it requires an increased amount of effort to keep your volunteers trained and up to speed. I believe Doug understands the importance of that.”

Described as a forward thinker, Ralston has served as a HAZMAT team leader, Gordon County Georgia Search and Rescue team leader and Training officer for Region 6 GSAR Task Force.

“Doug

Ralston

is highly respected by the other GSAR members throughout the region, and he will do a great job for Gordon County,” former vice president of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs and Bartow County Deputy Chief Dwayne Jamison said in a press release.

Ralston will be responsible for Fire Suppression, Prevention and Rescue.

“He is well respected by his department and the fire service community,” King said in a press release. “I am confident that Doug Ralston will build strong relationships with our volunteers, other county departments and our state/regional partners to improve service delivery throughout the county.”

Ralston is a member of the New Zion Baptist Church, Coosawattee Masonic Lodge and Gordon County Young Farmers Association, is a 4-H parent volunteer, and past member of the Gordon County Foster Parent Association.

He resides in Gordon County with his wife, Sandy, and twin daughters, Jazmine and Gabrielle.