Signal Mountain Fire Chief Larry Sloan has resigned after a personal TikTok video mocking U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked months of backlash that town officials say ultimately put his own firefighters in the crosshairs of angry residents. Sloan posted the video in May, but the fallout didn’t force him out until this week, after Town Manager Matthew Justice completed an internal review and found that Sloan’s conduct violated town personnel policy.
The video, posted to Sloan’s personal TikTok account, responded to remarks Ocasio-Cortez made on May 16 at the “All Roads Lead to the South” voting rights rally at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, where thousands gathered to protest Republican redistricting efforts across Southern states, according to the Alabama Political Reporter. Ocasio-Cortez had called on Northerners to support Southern states against injustices amid the redistricting fight. In his response, Sloan called her a “funny girl” and said hunters like himself “need something to hunt between the end of March and the first of November,” adding, “Y’all pull up. This ought to be fun,” as reported by Local 3 News.
The video circulated online for months before it escalated into a formal administrative matter this month. Justice conducted the internal review of Sloan’s behavior and determined it violated the town’s personnel policy, eroding public trust in Signal Mountain’s first responders. Sloan later described the video as a tongue-in-cheek response to a nationally known political figure, saying it was ill-advised and that he took full responsibility for it. He also said he had no intent to incite violence or harm against any member of any community.
Firefighters Caught in the Blowback
Town officials say the real damage landed on the department’s rank and file rather than on Sloan himself. Signal Mountain Fire Department members received threats and inappropriate comments from residents in the wake of the video, and the town said protecting the integrity of the fire department and supporting SMFD personnel remained its priority. Sloan, for his part, said his own personnel bore no responsibility for what he posted and called the treatment of SMFD members completely unacceptable.
An anonymous citizen sent Sloan an email telling him to do better, one of the signs of mounting local pressure that preceded the resignation. Justice ultimately determined that Sloan’s conduct was unbecoming of a public servant. Sloan said he had hoped to weather the episode and continue serving Signal Mountain and Walden’s Ridge, but he came to realize that continuing in the role would not be possible.
Three Years at the Helm, Then a Sudden Exit
Sloan served at SMFD for three years, a stretch he called the highlight of his career. In his farewell remarks, he wished the fire department and the broader community well. Mayor Elizabeth Baker said she was confident Justice reached a decision in the best interest of the town, its staff, and its citizens, adding, “This is the right outcome for Signal Mountain.”
Police Chief Mike Williams, who also oversees Signal Mountain’s public safety stakeholder work, will now serve as acting fire chief until an interim chief is appointed in the coming days, according to Justice. Williams previously represented public safety leadership on town committees that evaluated SMFD’s credentials, staffing structures, and apparatus needs alongside consultants from the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. That gives him a working familiarity with the 27-person department he now temporarily oversees, which runs two stations — one on Ridgeway Avenue and one on Shackleford Ridge Road — and maintains an ISO Class 2 rating while covering the town under the Town of Signal Mountain’s council-manager structure, in which Justice serves as chief administrative officer under Mayor Baker and the Town Council.
A Department Already Under Scrutiny
The leadership shakeup lands on a department that has weathered budget fights before. In March 2023, town leaders debated potential firefighter layoffs and restructuring after a municipal study found SMFD’s staffing and budget exceeded those of peer Tennessee towns amid a projected $1.5 million deficit, according to Firehouse. SMFD also leans on mutual aid partnerships with the volunteer-run Walden’s Ridge Emergency Services and the Chattanooga Fire Department to handle wildland fires and emergency calls across the ridge, per the Signal Mountain Mirror — a network Sloan referenced when he wished Walden’s Ridge well in his resignation remarks.
Signal Mountain, a community of 8,852 residents perched roughly 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River overlooking Chattanooga, now finds itself weighing broader questions about public employee speech alongside its search for a new fire chief. Courts applying the framework from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1968 decision in Pickering v. Board of Education have generally held that government agencies may discipline public safety officials for off-duty personal speech if it impairs operations, erodes public trust, or conflicts with public safety duties, according to the University of Minnesota Law School. Municipalities nationwide have increasingly tightened employee social media guidelines since 2020 as public safety personnel face rising discipline over political commentary or language perceived as violent, Firehouse Magazine reports — a trend Signal Mountain now finds itself squarely inside as it searches for its next fire chief.
