MURFREESBORO – By recommendation of the town’s fire department, the Murfreesboro Town Council approved a new fire chief at their regular meeting here Wednesday.

Jeremy Brittenham was selected to fill the position which opened up after the former chief Bennett Daughtry retired at the end of December.

Information about the fire department’s selection process was presented to Town Council by Gabriel Parker, who was in charge of the department’s selection committee. He explained they formed the committee in December and conducted a vote throughout the entire department to determine potential candidates.

Brittenham and Harrison Revelle were the top two candidates.

According to Parker, both Brittenham and Revelle were given the opportunity to speak and answer questions at a mandatory fire department meeting in January. The entire department voted again afterwards, ultimately selecting Brittenham as the new chief.

Parker also reported that Brittenham named Revelle to serve as Assistant Chief.

“Jeremy is well-trained. He has 18 years with the [Murfreesboro] department come this July,” Parker said, explaining Brittenham’s credentials to the Council. “He is a full-time firefighter with the Chesapeake Fire Department. He’s been there 12 years.”

He asked the Council to take all that information into consideration when accepting or rejecting the department’s recommendation.

“Do you think working in Chesapeake would hinder you in any way from being the Fire Chief for Murfreesboro,” asked Councilwoman Sarah Wallace.

Brittenham answered that his working schedule at the other department would not interfere, and if he was not in town, Revelle and the other firefighter officers would be able to handle the work.

“The reason I appointed Harrison as my assistant, aside from the fact that he’s very well-qualified,” Brittenham explained, “he’s level-headed, he’s got a lot of experience, he works in town… He has the ability to cover me when I’m on 24-hour shifts.”

Mayor Hal Thomas asked if there was any certification necessary to be qualified as a fire chief. Brittenham replied there was no certification, but that he and Revelle both attend training courses whenever available and are scheduled to attend another one soon.

Wallace motioned to accept the fire department’s recommendation, and Councilwoman Berna Stephens seconded. The vote passed unanimously.

During the department reports portion of the meeting, Brittenham reported that, despite some repair work, the ladder truck is still out of service for additional needed repairs. The department is also using their fundraiser money to purchase a container to use while conducting training exercises.