GLASGOW – Bryan Marr, who’s served as the Glasgow Fire Department’s assistant chief for two years, was named the department’s new chief pending city council approval.

Monday morning, in the city council chambers, Mayor Dick Doty announced to a small crowd that Marr had been named GFD’s chief.

At the podium, Doty said Marr joined GFD as a firefighter in 1998 and rose through the ranks.

“He’s served the city of Glasgow for nearly 20 years,” Doty said. “He started just like any other firefighter and he has progressed up through the ranks to the position of assistant chief.”

Marr replaces Tony Atwood, who retired Friday after serving as chief for six years and working a total of 26 years for GFD.

In replacing Atwood, Doty said, the city opened an internal search to hire a new chief from within the department.

“Although this search was not a nationwide search, I do feel that we have a fire chief that can rival any candidate that that nationwide search would have surfaced,” he said. “The fire department runs extremely smoothly. As smoothly as any other organization in town, and this is a testament, I believe, to the leadership that exists amongst that team.”

Marr is currently interim chief, a position he’s held since Atwood retired. He will not officially become chief until the Glasgow City Council votes to approve Doty’s selection. A vote is expected at the council’s next meeting Aug. 14.

When Doty was finished, Marr took the podium and announced he planned to continue running the department in much the same way Atwood did.

“I do appreciate the opportunity, and I look forward to leading the fire department, basically continuing the path that we’re on right now,” he said.

After the announcement was made, Marr said he hopes he can lead the department to an Insurance Services Office Class 1 rating, which would mean GFD would be considered one of the best fire departments in the country.

When Atwood was chief, the department rose from a Class 3 ISO rating to Class 2, Marr said. Better ISO ratings can lead in some instances to lower homeowner’s insurance premiums.

Marr hopes to replace a few older fire engines with newer models soon and is interested in hiring additional personnel to supplement the 12 firefighters split among Glasgow’s two fire stations at any given time, he said, adding that he is also interested in starting a third fire station to improve coverage for the area.