A veteran firefighter has been tabbed as the new fire chief of the Lehighton Fire Department.

By a unanimous measure, borough council on Monday agreed to appoint Patrick Mriss as the borough's new chief, effective Dec. 31.Councilman Scott Rehrig said the borough received two resumes for the post.The other resume was submitted by James Smith of Summit Hill.Mriss, who is currently assistant fire chief, has been with the Lehighton Fire Department since June 1997.Council then agreed to advertise for an assistant fire chief internally.Resignationof current fire chiefLater in the meeting, council agreed to accept the resignation of incumbent Fire Chief Gary Frable, effective Jan. 1.Councilman Darryl Arner said council's decision to accept Frable's resignation was "regrettably so."Frable was appointed chief on May 9, 2011.He took over the position from former Fire Chief John "Jack" Kuller, who passed away on April 22, 2011.Frable had served as assistant chief under Kuller from 2002 until his ascension to the top post.Frable recognizedAt the onset of the meeting, council recognized Frable with a plaque for his years of service to the fire department.Over a dozen borough firefighters attended the meeting as a show of support for Frable.Councilman Joe Flickinger then spoke of Frable's contributions to the department."Chief Frable entered into his position at one of the most difficult times for our department, a position that he never wanted," Flickinger said. "However, he rose to the task, and led from the front and with distinction."Flickinger continued his praise of Frable."The leadership qualities that he demonstrated to all his subordinates were characteristics that all true commanders must possess," he said. "He led by example, wasn't too proud to ask for recommendations from his crews, and wasn't afraid to admit when he was wrong."Flickinger said Frable played a huge role in the department's success."Chief Frable and his officers transformed the department from being at its emotional lowest due to the death of Chief (John) Kuller, and molded it into the highest level of training of the Lehighton Fire Department in recent memory," he said. "He always encouraged his crews to excel themselves, and supported them in becoming some of the highest-trained firefighters to date in the borough."Flickinger then spoke of the levels and amounts of training attained by various firefighters in the borough."I believe I can speak on behalf of all my fellow council members in saying thank you, not only for the service you diligently provided, but also for your commitment in making our fire department one of the most trained and professional fire departments around," he said. "Great job, chief."Afterward, Rehrig said that on behalf of council, they would like to thank Frable "for a job well done."Frable then thanked Rehrig for his remarks.