The Long County Board of Commissioners selected McIntosh County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Deverger to be the next chief of the Ludowici/Long County Volunteer Department during a called meeting Friday. 

Deverger will replace Richard Truman, who recently retired.

Though the new department head was approved by the commissioners, the hire was not unanimous, as Commissioner Cliff DeLoach voted against the measure.

“I have nothing against Mr. Deverger, but I could not go along with him being hired,” DeLoach said. “I believe we had some people who were much more qualified than he was, and I would have preferred we hired somebody from Long County.”

Commissioners Chairman Dwight Gordon and Commissioners Gerald Blocker, Willie Thompson and Robert Long all voted in favor.

According to information provided by the county commissioners, Deverger has been with the McIntosh County department since 1979 and has been the chief since 1995. 

According to Deverger, under his guidance, McIntosh County’s ISO rating dropped from 9/10 to 5/5. (Lower ISO ratings mean lower insurance costs for property owners based on fire coverage.)  Some of Deverger’s training includes Firefighter 101, Crash Victim Extrication, Arson Detection, First Responder Medical Certificate and NIMS 100, 200, 400, and 800.

In addition to being the chief in McIntosh County, Deverger also is self-employed as a hay farmer, landscaper and in mosquito control. He also is retired from Union Camp in Eulonia. He currently lives in Townsend.

Deverger’s salary and compensation packet as the new fire chief had not been determined Friday afternoon.