Roughly six months after Frank Dorner left the job, the Kodiak City Fire Department has hired a new fire chief. Rich Gonzalez, the current emergency manager for Kodiak Island, has officially taken over the top role at the fire department.
Gonzalez used to work with the Kodiak Fire Department from 2001 to 2003 during one of his local Coast Guard assignments.
He was officially sworn-in as the new fire chief during last week’s City Council meeting on July 24. Gonzalez said he’s got an amazing crew including Deputy Fire Chief Steel McNeil, who was filling in temporarily as the acting fire chief after Dorner left in January.
“I can’t thank him enough for everything that he did the past six months," Gonzalez said of McNeil. "And keeping what Frank [Dorner] kept going and turning the department over to me with everything still working fine."
Deputy City Manager Josie Bahnke noted during the July 24 council meeting that under McNeil’s leadership, three probationary firefighters, a captain and new Deputy Fire Marshal have all been promoted. The city fire department is in its 85th year of existence and McNeil has been with the department for more than 15 of those.
That department is in the midst of transitioning to a brand new fire hall. Construction of the city's fire hall off of Mill Bay Road is on track to be completed by the end of this year.
Gonzalez has been working alongside the city fire department for months as part of his other job as the local emergency manager. He took on that role for the city and borough back in January.
Bahnke said in an email that Gonzalez will, “continue fulfilling routine emergency management duties in the absence of a full-time emergency manager.”
Bahnke added that the recruitment process for a new emergency manager has begun internally within the city.
According to a press release from the city, Gonzalez’s first day on the job as fire chief was July 21. McNeil will continue on with the department as the deputy fire chief.
