Henry County Fire Chief Luther Phillips took his oath of office along with Deputies Tom Gardner and Jonathan Burnette and Assistant Chief of Training Rodney Wiggins at a Swearing-In ceremony held on December 12 at the Henry County Administration Building.

Phillips was administered an oath by County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews, surrounded by family members. He in turn administered oaths of office to Gardner, Burnette and Wiggins as their friends and family looked on. Both Hobson-Matthews and Deputy County Manager Brad Johnson addressed the crowd of supporters with inspirational words.

After taking his oath, Phillips shared his sentiments on becoming Henry County’s fire chief.

“I’m incredibly humbled by this opportunity to serve with the brave men and women of the fire department. We have here in this community such a spirit of family and support. The community supports us without fail and we strive every day to honor that and to make sure that we are doing the things we need to do to garner that support and show that we care and that they are a part of our family,” said Phillips. “You hear a lot in public safety or any business about providing customer service. We like to take the word customer out and insert the word family because that is what it is like for us.”

Phillips has been serving as the interim Fire Chief since March and brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He has been employed with the Henry County Fire Department for nearly 16 years, and during his tenure, he has served in various roles, including that of Firefighter/Paramedic, Lieutenant, Technical Rescue Lieutenant, Training Officer, Battalion Captain, and Battalion Chief. He served as the Assistant Chief of Training prior to his appointment as Interim Fire Chief.

Phillips has been awarded numerous national and state certifications through the National Professional Qualifications system, such as Fire Instructor III, Fire Officer IV, Fire Investigator, and Hazardous Materials Technician, and he is a credentialed Chief Fire Officer through the GAFC. He is also a member of the Georgia Region IV EMS Council and is an active member of the Metro Atlanta Fire Chiefs Association, Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

For more information about the Henry County Fire Department, log on to henrycounty-ga.com/fire.