Former Atlanta, DC fire chief hired in Petersburg, Virginia

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) - A former fire chief in Atlanta and Washington has been hired to lead the fire department in Petersburg, Virginia.

Officials in the city of 32,000 announced Tuesday that Dennis Rubin will take over as chief of the Petersburg Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services Department.

Rubin served four years as fire chief in Atlanta and another four years as Washington’s fire chief. He resigned in 2011 after his boss, then-mayor Adrian Fenty, lost his bid for re-election. After leading the two big-city departments, Rubin worked as a consultant and served as fire chief in a small town in Wisconsin. He also wrote a book about his time in the nation’s capital.

Rubin will start in Petersburg next month. Interim City Manager Tom Tyrrell says he was impressed by Rubin’s “vast experience.”