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Michael Strickland, who served as Troup County’s deputy fire chief, has been named the county’s new interim fire chief.

The announcement was made on Thursday as Strickland takes over for John Ekaitis, who stepped down due to medical reasons.

It hasn’t been a secret that Strickland was one of the leading candidates for the fire chief position when Ekaitis got it a few years ago.

He’s served as the county’s EMA director, and we believe he will do a good job in this new role — temporary or not.

The county has not been in a big rush to name a new fire chief, and we believe that’s partly because Strickland was available and in line if needed to take over while a search is conducted.

He certainly has plenty of experience.

Before joining Troup County, Strickland served in the Fayette County Fire/EMS Department in a variety of roles, including assistant fire marshal, fire lieutenant, and fire captain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University, where he graduated magna cum laude.

We congratulate Strickland on this new, interim title, and wish him luck as he guides the fire department into the future.