Greenwich Fire Chief Joe McHugh on Thursday announced that Brian Koczak has been appointed the town’s new Assistant Fire Chief.
“The appointment of a new as chief was a hard process. I wanted it to stay internally within the department,” Chief McHugh said, adding that there had been two highly qualified candidates.
McHugh said Koczak brings abundant experience to the position. He has 24 years with the Fire Dept.
“He is currently a Deputy Chief on the floor so he brings a lot of great qualities and (knowledge of) technology to the Greenwich Fire Dept,” he said.
“I know it was a hard choice and it’s always a tough process,” said First Selectman Fred Camillo. “Certainly Brian well get you off and running, bringing a lot of institutional knowledge to the job.”
“I had the opportunity to talk to Brian and we discussed that he is also a volunteer at the fire dept in the town that he lives in,” said Selectwoman Lauren Rabin. “I appreciated that level of experience and the collaboration and trust between the our career firefighters and volunteer firefighters as we move forward.”
Selectperon Jill Oberlander said that with this vote, as in others, she would abstain since she has not been invited to participate in the interview process.
However, Oberlander said, “I assured (Koczak) in our conversation that I am a strong supporter of the fire dept and the work they do, and the commitment of the men and women in the department.”
In August GreenwichFire Chief McHugh was sworn in during a ceremony outside the public safety complex. He replaces outgoing chief Peter Siecienski.who retired after a 48 year career. In September Assistant Chief Robert Kick retired after 27 years of service.
“Thank you Chief and thank the board. I look eager to move forward,” Koczak said over Zoom.
Congratulations!