GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids held an event Wednesday evening allowing community members to meet the finalists for the city’s next fire chief.
The two finalists are Chief Eloy Vega from Port Neches, Texas and Dr. Brad Brown, the deputy chief of support services for the Grand Rapids Fire Department.
"If the desire of the community is to remain progressive and to remain as one of the premier departments in the nation, if that's the desire, that's the will. I want to reassure the community that I have the skills and knowledge and experience to do that to grow not only with the organization but to grow professionally and individually and to be integral with the community as well," Vega told FOX 17 before Wednesday's event. "So if the interest is growth, improvement and being the best and continuing the tradition of excellence, I'm the guy."
"I think we have dialed in pretty good here in Grand Rapids, been a big part of that, and I'm looking forward to keeping that work going in the future," Brown said. "By managing our assets and being proactive, I really think that we're setting Grand Rapids up for the future, and I'm really excited to get our infrastructure back to where it needs to be."
READ MORE: Grand Rapids to hold candidate forum in search for next fire chief
Brown is the acting fire chief right now as the department prepares for Chief Lehman's retirement this spring.
“The city of Grand Rapids has one of the finest fire departments in the country and Chief Lehman’s leadership has been very instrumental in getting us to this point,” City Manager Mark Washington said. “This community is looking for someone to continue elevating the quality of life for residents through excellent fire prevention and response services.”
READ MORE: Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman to retire spring 2023
"Diversity is the biggest issue," Lt. Harold Elmore with the Grand Rapids Fire Department said Wednesday. "Seeing this department look just like the community that we serve. For many years, we've neglected that, and now we have a chief that has really put a lot of energy into that, and I would hate to see that momentum dropped."
Battalion Chief Mark Noorman has worked under five chiefs in his 31 years of service. He says the next leader has some pretty big shoes to fill when Chief Lehman leaves.
"The fire department went through some tough times as a lot of businesses did in our leadership. We sometimes didn't feel supported," he explained. "It's gonna be a tough, tough choice."
The Fire Chief Candidate Forum took place from 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. in the 9th Floor City Commission Chambers in City Hall on Monroe Avenue.
You can watch the entire thing below:
The city of Grand Rapids will continue to take the public's ideas into account. They ask community members to fill out an online survey by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 31.
