December 31 marked the retirement of Fire Chief Brent Gates from the Village of New Concord. Brent joined the New Concord Fire Department in 1978 as a volunteer fire fighter and moved up the ranks as Lieutenant, Captain and Assistant Chief before being named Fire Chief in 1992. Chief Gates led the department through the change from volunteer to the part-time paid professional organization we have today. Chief Gates was extremely active in his profession in the county, the region and also at the state level. He was on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association and in 2009 Guernsey County named him Firefighter of the Year. Chief Gates is a highly-regarded teacher and has instructed at the Ohio Fire Academy for many years, was named Instructor of the year by the Ohio Fire Service and teaches at the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program. All together Chief Gates was with the village for 42 years, which we believe is a record for our community. Throughout this time he served with dedication and loyalty.
Thank you, Chief Gates. We wish you well. If community members wish to send a card or note, please address it to Village Hall and we will make sure he receives it