By Sam Kohn
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — The town of Signal Mountain began accepting applications to find a new fire chief Thursday, nearly three weeks after the resignation of the fire department’s previous leader due to controversial statements he made on personal social media accounts.
“We are still in the early portion of the recruitment stage,” town manager Matthew Justice said in an emailed statement. “The Town will share updates on our website and social media once the application period closes, or there is an important development to report.”
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Seven candidates have submitted applications as of Monday morning, according to the town’s human resources department. Candidates will be screened through interview and assessment processes, which will likely take a few weeks to conduct.
This follows the resignation of the previous chief, Larry Sloan, on Aug. 21 . Sloan faced mounting pressure to walk away from the role after an internal town review determined that his social media conduct was “unbecoming of a public servant and eroded public trust in our first responders,” according to a press release in August announcing his resignation.
Sloan posted a video to his private TikTok account on May 21 that responded to comments made by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, D- N.Y. , at a rally in Montgomery, Alabama, where she stated that “it was time for the North to pull up on the South.” The congresswoman was speaking about a string of congressional redistricting efforts that occurred in Southern states at that time.
“I got to thinking, you know, turkey season ends in three days,” Sloan said in the now-deleted video. “Those of us who are in the South who hunt are going to be pretty bored between now and dove season, duck season, deer season.”
“We need something to hunt between the end of March and the first of November, you know?” Sloan continued. “Now that you mention it, that’s not a bad idea. Y’all pull up, this ought to be fun.”
The video came to the attention of town leaders last month and prompted an internal review. Sloan served as the town’s fire chief for nearly three years before his resignation.
Justice said that because the fire chief position is appointed by and reports to the town manager, there will be no formal public input process.
According to the job posting, the Signal Mountain fire chief manages all firefighting personnel and supervises the budget, programs and administrative functions for the department. There are currently 24 employees under the purview of the fire chief, according to the town’s human resources department.
As of Monday, applications for full-time and part-time firefighter positions are open in Signal Mountain. Those positions would increase the total department size to 26 by the time a new chief is selected.
Police chief Mike Williams has served as the acting fire chief since Aug. 21, maintaining a leadership role over both departments. There are 14 police officers under William’s purview as chief.
” Chief Williams is able to provide the department with experienced administrative leadership while allowing the normal shift operations to continue through the fire officers,” Justice said.
The town’s Aug. 21 press release said that an interim chief would be appointed in the “coming days.” Williams will continue to serve as chief of both departments until a permanent selection for fire chief is made, according to Justice.
Applications are open for all to apply and can be found on the town’s career opportunities web page.
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