Chief Gary Whaley became Fire Chief in 2009. During his time as Chief, he accomplished many goals for the department. The ISO (Insurance rating) for GFD was improved from a 4 to a 3 due partially to personnel and equipment improvements. Station 4 had an addition added on in 2010. Due to the size of apparatus being used, the old bay was too small and no longer usable for housing the apparatus. A new dual bay was built on the eastern side of the structure. Other departmental improvements included the addition of our current Engine 1, as well as a new aerial apparatus, Tower 1. Staffing improvements were made in adding the positions of Senior Firefighter, Day Shift Captains, and the Fire Marshal. The Water Rescue team was developed after the need was seen during several major hurricanes in our area. The GFD Explorer program, and the Car Seat program were also implemented in our department during Chief Whaley’s time at GFD. He was very active within the community, never one to say a job was too small for him. Chief Whaley retired from the department in 2017.