The Nashville Fire Department Fire Marshal was fired Tuesday for reasons including performance and insubordination, the department's top officer said.

Department veteran Al Thomas had been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 24, prior to a Dec. 15 disciplinary hearing and his ultimate termination, according to Joseph Pleasant, a fire department spokesman.

Thomas' original hire date was July 1978, Pleasant said. He retired in 2015, but was hired back full-time in June 2017.

According to a Dec. 22, 2020 termination letter signed by NFD Director Chief Swann, his firing stemmed from the department's Fire Marshal's Office lacking a succession plan.