GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — The City of Gatlinburg has announced who their next fire chief will be as current Gatlinburg Fire Department Chief Charlie Cole prepares for retirement.

On Friday, the city announced that Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief and Paramedic David Gray will be appointed as the next Gatlinburg Fire Department Chief, effective January 3, 2026.

Gray will begin working with the fire department on December 1 to allow for a transition period before Cole's retirement on January 2, 2026. Cole has served with the department for more than 38 years.

The department shared that Gray has many years of fire service and emergency medical experience, and he currently oversees multiple fire stations and leads incident command operations for fire, rescue, and EMS incident

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