SWEETWATER, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The City of Sweetwater welcomed its new fire chief Wednesday, more than six months after its previous chief retired.

Former fire chief Grant Madden retired in early January, after 23 years of service. Now, the Chief of Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service will go to Chief Dewey Coy, a tenured firefighter and chief.

According to a Facebook post from Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service, even though Chief Coy has been away for a while, he is a Big Country native.

Originally from Snyder, Chief Coy graduated from Zephyr High School and began his career with the Zephyr Volunteer Fire Department in 1989.

Come 1998, Chief Coy moved on to the Jacksonville Fire Department in Arkansas, where he earned the rank of Battalion Chief. After 22 years of service, Chief Coy retired in December 2020.

Chief Coy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from John Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Management & Leadership and Human Resource Development from Webster University.

The new Chief of Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service will begin his duties August 1.

“The men and women of the Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service that I have met are top-notch personnel,” Chief Coy said. “I may have been selected as the new Fire Chief, but these individuals truly are the ones who keep the machine moving forward. I am honored to serve alongside each of them as we fulfill our mission as a fire and EMS department.”