Henry County will swear-in its first female fire chief on Monday.
The new chief is Brenda “Nish” Willis, a 37-year fire service veteran. She comes from Riverdale where she was fire chief for four years. Before working in Riverdale, Willis was deputy fire chief of airport operations with the Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department where she worked her way through the ranks. She was one of the first 20 female firefighters hired by the Atlanta Fire Department. She also was first female to serve on the department’s hazardous materials and technical rescue unit. From there, she became the first female fire officer and then the first female chief officer in the department’s history.
Willis has a Bachelor of Science in Fire Administration. She is an adjunct faculty member with the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. and is called to teach classes throughout the United States. Willis was an adjunct instructor at Dekalb Technical College and is a certified fire instructor at the Georgia State Fire Academy.
Willis’ Henry appointment is not without opposition. Some officers in the county fire department expressed their support at a recent Henry commission meeting for interim fire chief Brad Johnson. Johnson has been with the department since 1998. Willis succeeds fire chief Bill Lacy who retired in December.
The swearing-in ceremony for Willis will be Monday at 9 a.m. at the Fire Training Division on Ronnie Stewart Drive in McDonough.
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