MARION, S.C. (WBTW) — Marion announced its new fire chief on Monday.

Kevin C. Hammond was chosen among a nationwide search of more than 30 qualified candidates. He is a Marion native and started at the fire department in 2002 as a volunteer firefighter, according to Marion Fire Rescue.

He worked his way up through the ranks reaching the title of firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, and captain before being named fire chief.  

Hammond will take the position after former chief Jeremy Bass, who resigned after serving as chief from Feb. 21 to Sept. 1, 2022. 

Hammond is a graduate of Mullins High School with an associate’s degree in chemical engineering. He is a South Carolina State Fire Academy instructor, a certified fire officer and a nationally registered advanced emergency medical technician.

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Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here.