(KAIR)--The interim Chief of the Atchison Fire Department will remain in the position permanently.

Patrick Weishaar has served as Interim Fire Chief since January, filling the position after former Chief Ted Graf stepped down.

That’s according to a release Wednesday from Atchison City Manager Becky Berger, announcing Weishaar’s move into the department’s top leadership position.

A native of Nortonville, Weishaar joined the Atchison Fire Department in 1999, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 2012 and to Captain in 2017. The release notes that Weishaar was named Deputy Fire Chief in 2020, and has been the department’s code enforcement officer since 2014. He manages the lighting system for the Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge, serves on several boards and committees within the community and was recently named the city’s Administrative Hearings Officer.

Berger, in the release, says Weishaar’s work in the interim position has been “innovative,” working “to lead the department in an efficient and effective way,” which Berger says earned him “the right to remove the interim tag from his job title.”

Weishaar, in the release, says he has “had many great mentors throughout [his] career with the department,” noting that he is “proud to serve [Atchison’s] citizens and continue the exceptional reputation and legacy of the Atchison Fire Department.”