Woodstock Fire Department Opens Doors April 29 to Honor Deputy Chief Jimmy Eley's 34-Year Career
The community is welcome to attend a free luncheon at Station 14 on Arnold Mill Road to mark the end of an era for one of the department's longest-serving leaders
Woodstock Community News Staff
The Woodstock Fire Department is inviting the public to celebrate the retirement of Deputy Fire Chief Jimmy Eley — a 34-year veteran whose career is being honored with a tribute the department describes as one of service, integrity and leadership. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2026, from noon to 3 p.m. at Station 14, located at 225 Arnold Mill Road. Lunch and dessert will be provided, and admission is free.
Attendees are asked to RSVP by April 15, 2026, either by email at stetterton@woodstockga.gov or by phone at 404-416-1513.
Thirty-four years is a long time anywhere. In Woodstock, it's a history lesson. When Eley began his career, Woodstock was still a small Cherokee County town — the kind of place where everybody knew the firefighters by name. Today it ranks among the fastest-growing cities in Georgia, with a population that has multiplied several times over and a fire department that has expanded its stations, personnel and capabilities to keep pace. Eley's tenure spans nearly that entire transformation.
At the deputy chief level, the work is less about pulling hose and more about making sure everyone who does is trained, equipped and ready. Deputy chiefs typically oversee daily operations, personnel management, training programs and emergency response coordination — the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that determines how well a department functions when seconds matter. That kind of institutional knowledge, accumulated over three decades, doesn't walk out the door quietly.
Station 14 on Arnold Mill Road sits along the northern and western corridors of Woodstock, near the Cherokee County line — a fitting venue for a sendoff that reflects the department's deep roots in this community. The Woodstock Fire Department serves residents across the city with fire suppression, emergency medical response and community education, and its culture of treating neighbors as extended family is evident in the decision to open this celebration to anyone who wants to come.
Most Woodstock residents have never met Jimmy Eley by name, but many have benefited from the standards and systems he helped shape over more than three decades. The department promises "plenty of stories" at the event — the kind of firsthand accounts that never make it into official records but say everything about what a career in public safety actually looks like.
Anyone planning to attend should RSVP before the April 15 deadline to help organizers plan for food and seating.
