Habersham County is losing another long-time public servant. Emergency services director and fire chief Chad Black submitted his notice of resignation on Monday. Black has spent much of his 40-year public service career working in Habersham County since being hired on as a part-time paramedic at Habersham Medical Center in 1988.
Black, who has served as head of Habersham County Emergency Services for the past four years, says he’s leaving public safety to accept a private-sector job in management with a medical lab in Gainesville. He describes the move as a quality of life decision – one that will afford him more time to spend with his family and enjoy life a little more. Still, he says, it was a tough decision.
“I wish it would have been bad [circumstances],” Black tells Now Habersham, “it would have been easier. I love my job. I love what I do and I love the people. That’s what’s made this decision so hard,” he adds, choking back tears. “People probably thought I would die doing this.”
Black grew up in White County and developed his interest in public safety early on, riding in ambulances with his uncle Ricky Barrett who owns a funeral home in Cleveland.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Ricky. I watched him over the years, how he treated people and took care of them,” he says.
In 1985, Black began his public safety career in Hall County, simultaneously working part-time in Habersham. In 2016, he retired as Hall County’s deputy fire chief. The following year he was named Habersham County’s EMS director when Jack Moody, who had held that position for 28 years, retired. In that role, he helped guide the successful merger of the county’s EMS and fire services, serving alongside fire chief Jeff Cain until his retirement earlier this year. When Cain retired, Black also took on the role of fire chief.
In addition to his job duties, Black has served as a regional EMS coordinator, utilizing his years of experience as an EMT and flight paramedic to bring high-level trauma care to Northeast Georgia. In 2019, he was awarded the Governor’s Award for Trauma Excellence for his leadership.
In response to the announcement Monday of Black’s resignation, Habersham County Commission Chair Dustin Mealor called Black “a great asset to our county” and said he will be missed. Others expressed deep appreciation for Black’s decades of public service.
“I know words cannot express a proper level of appreciation, but I personally want to thank Chad for his service to Habersham County and for all he has done to help me personally during my tenure as Interim County Manager,” says Alicia Vaughn. “His leadership and dedication to this community are evident when you look at his department and see the spirit of excellence exhibited by his staff.”
“Chad has been a wonderful employee of the county and his heart and passion were evident every day that he showed up for work,” says District 4 Habersham County Commissioner Bruce Harkness. “He will be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace because he absolutely loved his job and his passion to help others was evident.”
District 1 commissioner Bruce Palmer echoed his appreciation for what Black has done to advance public safety in Habersham County, adding, “I would like to wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
For his part, Black says the hardest part of leaving the job will be saying goodbye to the “phenomenal” people with whom he works. The part he will miss least is the constant fear and worry that accompanies a job like his.
“They’re all family to me,” he says of the men and women in his department. “I’ve made it 39 years never to have a line of duty death and I pray I can make it another month.”
Black’s resignation is effective January 14, 2022. Soon after that, he will begin his new job as Executive Vice-President of Governmental Sales and Business Development for Pro-GeneX Laboratories and Clinical Service in Gainesville.
“There will never be words to express my appreciation for all that Habersham County has afforded me,” he says. “I have absolutely been blessed.” He credits his predecessors, Cain and Moody, for laying a strong foundation for public safety in Habersham County and expects the job will attract a number of qualified candidates both from within and outside the department.
Vaughn says the county will work closely with Director Black to ensure that a plan is in place to recruit a qualified candidate to lead Habersham County Emergency Services in the future.
