Sandy Springs Fire Change of Command Ceremony on Tuesday

The city of Sandy Springs will host a change of command ceremony to welcome its new fire chief.

The ceremony between retiring fire chief Jack McElfish and incoming chief Keith Sanders will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 at Sandy Springs City Hall at 7840 Roswell Road. The ceremony will take place outside the council chambers.

Chief McElfish announced his retirement in January, following a 51-year career in fire/rescue service, with more than 33 years serving in the role of fire chief. The city in late September announced it’s hired Keith Sanders to replace McElfish.

McElfish joined the city of Sandy Springs in July 2006, tasked with creating a full service Fire and Rescue Department, which became operational on Jan. 1, 2007.

Sanders joins Sandy Springs with more than 35 years experience in fire service and public safety. He previously served with the city of Alpharetta as fire chief and most recently as deputy director of public safety.

Under the public safety role, Sanders oversaw operations for the fire department, as well as police and 911 operations. In addition to fire service, Sanders is a sworn police officer and recently graduated the FBI National Academy, an invitation-only program.

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