Video: Amory To Have Youngest Fire Chief In Mississippi

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AMORY, MISS. (WCBI) – One Northeast Mississippi city will soon have the youngest fire chief in the state. WCBI’s Allie Martin has more from the incoming chief and the veteran chief who is retiring after more than three decades fighting fires.

It’s New Year’s Eve and Zackary McGonagill and Jimmy Bost are at Amory’s main fire station. For Bost, who is retiring, it is his final day as fire chief. McGonagill steps into the role January First.

“I’m very humbled, to have the kind of responsibility and to be a leader of such a great department,” McGonagill said.

And at 29, McGonagill will be the youngest fire chief in Mississippi. He joined the Amory Fire Department eight years ago, right out of the state fire academy.

He was hired by Chief Bost, who has served in that position for 23 years. Earlier this year, when Bost decided it was time to retire, McGonagill’s name quickly surfaced as a candidate.

“He’s learned, he’s studied, his work ethic and attitude, character, second to none, he will do a wonderful job,” Chief Bost said.

Although he’s been a fireman since 2006, McGonagill’s ties to the fire department go way back, he spent many hours here at fire station number one as a kid.

“I hung out with the fire chief’s son, Wesley.  We would come down, some of the captains, guys on shift here would be working with some of the classes and schools, setting up stuff in case house caught on fire, they would set station up with smoke, flashing lights off to simulate a fire and at that time they would take us in and we would have to practice low crawling out of a building to escape, I guess I was like a guinea pig,” McGonagill said.

McGonagill never lost interest in firefighting and sees his profession as a calling, not a job.

“To me I don’t believe it’s a job, I love doing it, I love to help people and that’s what has brought me to where I am today,” he said.

Even though he is retiring, Bost will help the new chief during the transition period.

“There’s so much advice I want to give him but primarily just to take care of the guys under you.You can’t control every situation, but you have to train them and trust them and I think he will be successful in that,” Bost said.

2015 will be a banner year for McGonagill, he and his wife are expecting their first baby in June.