February 7, 2025
Whereas the BioLab incident is a notable prevalence in McDaniel’s time period, it is just one occasion and doesn’t outline her years of public service.
Marian McDaniel, the first-ever Black lady fireplace chief in Rockdale County, Georgia, resigned on Feb. 3, Fox 5 stories.
A county spokesperson mentioned CEO JaNice Van Ness instantly pointed James Robinson, deputy chief of operations, as interim chief.
County officers mentioned the resignation was not in response to the September 2024 BioLab fireplace.
“Our precedence stays targeted on guaranteeing that we provide an efficient fireplace division that gives the easiest in service ranges,” Van Ness mentioned in an emailed assertion. “Our commissioners stay targeted on delivering high quality providers, and we’re assured this transition will assist us transfer ahead in the perfect curiosity of our neighborhood.”
The previous chief has been beneath appreciable scrutiny in current months as a result of her dealing with of September’s BioLab fireplace that prompted a plume of chemical compounds to be launched into the Rockdale County air. The ability is partially operational because the investigation into the incident continues.
Activists have expressed frustration with county leaders over their dealing with of the incident, significantly after BioLab reopened, Fox 5 stories. A number of lawsuits, together with one from the county, have been filed in opposition to BioLab within the months after the blaze.
McDaniel was appointed Rockdale County fireplace chief in December 2020. On the time, she was the twelfth African American feminine fireplace chief in america and had loved a distinguished profession.
She started her profession in 1998 at Fulton County’s Atlanta Hearth and Rescue. For practically 20 years, she labored there in a number of capacities: firefighter, lieutenant, captain, public info officer, and captain of emergency medical providers.
McDaniel retired from the county in 2017. She went on to function deputy fireplace chief of administration in Rockdale County. She didn’t give an announcement about her purpose for resigning or her future profession strikes.
RELATED CONTENT: Rockdale Residents Advocate For Info On BioLab Hearth