Haralson County reached outside of the Haralson County Fire Department when selecting the department’s fourth chief/ acting chief within the last year.
Along with leadership changes during that period – the department faced accusations of creating a hostile work environment; the county’s chairman and CEO had stepped in to reverse a personnel decision regarding disciplinary action; and, the Haralson County Board of Commissioners discussed the possibility of local municipalities taking over responsibilities of the county department following budget and safety concerns.
The board of commissioners on Tuesday confirmed the hire of Andrew Zeunik as the new chief.
According to his bio, Zeunik first joined fire service at the age of 16. Since then, he has served 30 years – working with and managing both large and small teams in Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Antartica. The new chief has also served 10 years as a town council member; and, for five years he led a non-profit charity.
A county official on Thursday told WLBB Radio, “Haralson County was fortunate to have a very deep and qualified applicant pool for the position of fire chief and enacted a thorough and impartial candidate search.”
Zeunik replaces interim-chief Cruz Lake who was appointed in mid-June following the resignation of fire chief Corey Myrick. Myrick replaced Garrett Brubaker in the fall of 2024.
