Photo caption: Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Russell, Captain Zack Lee, Lt. Chase Richardson and Fire Chief Joe Lee at the Feb. 20 Chelsea City Council meeting. Photo courtesy of Wayne Morris.
Two members of the Chelsea Fire and Rescue Department were recognized for their recent promotions during the Feb. 20 Chelsea City Council meeting.
Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Russell also congratulated Fire Marshal Tommy King on his retirement from the Birmingham Fire Department after 20 years. King will now serve as Chelsea’s fire marshal.
The two promotions were part of the promotional process that began in Jan. 2023.
Firefighter Chase Richardson was promoted to lieutenant. Russell said that Richardson
previously served in the military for the U.S. Marine Corps and completed two combat tours of duty in Iraq. He began his firefighting career at Bessemer Fire in 2012 before coming on board with Chelsea.
“We are glad to have him in Chelsea,” Russell said. “He’s a tremendous asset to our organization with his leadership qualities, fantastic work ethic and his selfless commitment to services.”
Lt. Zack Lee was promoted to captain. Lee has previously worked with departments in Concord, McCalla and Talladega before joining Chelsea’s department in December 2015.
“He is a tremendous asset, and beyond his normal duties he is also a department manager for vehicle and apparatus maintenance and is over tools and equipment as well as duties as fire captain,” Russell said.
Russell said he has no doubt the two will do great things for the department and said they are the next generation of leaders in Chelsea Fire and Rescue.
“We are blessed and proud of you and look forward to seeing what you can do for us in the future,” Russell said.
Wrestlers honored
Wrestlers from Chelsea’s middle and high schools and youth clubs were recognized for their recent achievements.
CHS wrestling coach Mike Merritt said that senior Tyler Rayford hit the 100-win mark, three wrestlers qualified for the state tournament and the CHS team placed second out of 16 during the Chelsea Invitational held in November 2023.
“The program is in a very good spot going forward,” Merritt said. “We have a lot of tough kids, a lot of coachable kids. Most importantly, we appreciate all the support we get from the city of Chelsea.”
Coach Caleb Gore from Chelsea Middle School said his team started out small this season but was able to expand and grow and had some great accomplishments.
“We won some tournaments and placed high at others,” Gore said. “These kids put in a lot of hard work and only lost one dual this whole year.”
Phillip Bolen runs the Chelsea youth and off-season wrestling programs, which is a feeder program for the middle and high schools. He shared that his program has been successful and included two wrestlers who placed at state last year.
Also during the meeting:
- Tyler Henden was appointed to the Chelsea Parks and Recreation Board
- A first reading was given to establish and appoint a code enforcement officer
