NATICK — The Fire Department could soon have its first assistant chief.
Fall Town Meeting approved the position and the Select Board on Jan. 8 voted to send a letter to state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, so that he can present it to the Legislature as a home-rule petition to take the new position out of Civil Service.
Fire Chief Jason Ferschke said the assistant fire chief will be “the clearly defined number two” in the department and will help manage its nearly 90 firefighters and civilian employees.
“The assistant chief will be a nonunion employee, which is different from the deputy chief positions, which are in the union,” Ferschke explained.
Natick Fire Chief Jason Ferschke said an assistant chief would be “the clearly defined number two” in the department, and not be part of a union.
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Natick won’t be the first area department to have an assistant fire chief. Framingham (one) and Marlborough (two) have each had assistant chiefs for years.
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Ferschke said having the assistant chief as nonunion will allow for more efficient management and would eliminate any conflict between their managerial duties and their role in a union.
“The assistant chief will be a huge help in helping to address the day-to-day needs of the department and enhance the capabilities of management to ensure the different divisions of the department are operating efficiently while freeing up some of the fire chief’s time for bigger-picture items and more strategic planning for the department,” Ferschke said.
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He hopes to hire an assistant chief as soon as possible, but must wait for the home-rule petition to move through the Legislature.
Ferschke would not say whether he planned to hire within the department or seek candidates from outside.
Another advantage to having the assistant chief is to help set up a succession plan, he said.
“The assistant chief position will become a key position in succession planning, and (would) also better prepare someone to step into the fire chief role,” Ferschke said.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick awaits legislative move to hire its first assistant fire chief