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Five Decherd firemen were recently promoted during a special ceremony at City Hall.

A special recognition event was held on Feb. 23 when Fire Chief Chuck Williams honored the firemen by reflecting on five grants that the department has received that will benefit the department’s ability to handle fire-fighting situations and first-responder duties.

“Without the effort from these guys (securing the grants would not have been) possible,” Williams said.

The ceremony was opened with a prayer led by Interim City Administrator Eric Bradford. The event continued with Williams recognizing each firemen who had earned a promotion within the department.

Those promoted were given a certificate as well as a new badge.

The five men honored at the evening’s ceremony included Peyton Cornett, Zachary Langford, Jacob Morris, Christian Steele and Kaleb Tyree.

Cornett has three years of service within the department and was promoted to driver/engineer. Also promoted to driver/engineer was Langford who also has three years of service with the city.

Advancing to the title of lieutenant was Steele who harbors three years of experience.

Morris and Tyree were promoted to captain. Morris has served with the unit for 10 years, and Tyree has dedicated four years to the department.

Williams expressed words of gratitude for what a helpful asset these individuals have been to the Fire Department as well as the city of Decherd.

No single day or shift is the same, and the job requires a vast amount of different duties, Williams said.

“These guys have met the training requirements and much more for their new positions,” he said.