The city of Ocala has hired a new fire chief to replace former Ocala Fire Rescue chief Shane Alexander.
The Ocala Fire Rescue will now be led by Clint Welborn, who accepted the position on Friday, July 9.
Welborn began with the organization in 1998 and has been with Ocala Fire Rescue for nearly 23 years.
“Within three years of starting, he’d gained his paramedic certification, and within five, he’d secured his first promotion, going from Firefighter/Paramedic to a Fire Equipment Operator (driver),” reads a social media post from Ocala Fire Rescue. The post goes on to say that as an off-duty instructor, Welborn trained hundreds of civilians in EMT and minimum standards.
In 2019, Welborn became the Operations Chief.
The hiring comes in the wake of the firing of Alexander, whose contract was terminated on Friday, June 25.