A familiar face has been chosen to be Holiday Island’s new permanent fire chief.
Gary Martin, who has been interim chief the past three months, was recently selected from among more than 30 candidates to lead the department, according to Rich Figgins, district manager of the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District.
Martin, who was hired as an assistant chief in September 2023, replaces Randy Ates, who resigned in July after leading the department since late 2022.
“Ates put [Martin] in the interim role when he left, and we just clicked right off the bat on how we wanted to move forward with the fire department,” Figgins said via email.
The department, which is budgeted for three paid employees and supported by volunteers, is funded by HISID.
Ates submitted his resignation on July 8 but stayed in the role until July 26 to get Martin up to speed to take over the interim role at the time, he said.
“I did not want to leave them hanging,” Ates said in July. “I am teaching my assistant chief, Gary Martin, the ins and outs so he can assume the spot as interim.”
A 2023 Facebook post announcing Martin’s hire to the Holiday Island department said the new chief has more than 30 years of fire service in both paid and volunteer positions.
“He originally retired from Springdale Fire Department before deciding the he hadn’t had enough fun and returned to the field,” the post reads, adding that Martin was a former volunteer fire chief for Bohannon Mountain Fire Department in Wesley as well as an employee of the Eureka Springs Fire Department.
“Chief Martin is a certified driver/operator, aerial operator and a fire/arson investigator through the Arkansas Fire Training Academy,” the 2023 Facebook post reads. “He is also an Arkansas Advanced EMT and a credentialed fire/ police chaplain. In addition, Martin is an elected constable for his home community and a Baptist minister.”
Martin’s experience is what set him apart from the other applicants for the fire chief role, Figgins said.
“We had 32 applicants, and after interviews, Gary just stuck out to me with his certification and experience,” he said.
A message to Martin for comment on the selection wasn’t returned by Wednesday morning, Oct. 23.
