A 33-year veteran firefighter is Clayton County’s new fire chief.

The County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to appoint Interim Fire Chief Jeff Hood as chief and emergency management agency director.

Hood, a lifelong resident of Rex, began his firefighting career in 1978 working for an engine company. Three years later, he became a certified paramedic, Battalion Chief Landry Merkison said.

Hood will be sworn in at a later date, officials said.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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