“Do you have turnout gear?” Brookfield Fire Capt. Dave Coffy asked his new boss, Fire Chief David Masirovits.
On his first day at work, Oct. 1, Masirovits had a lot to attend to, from meeting the firefighters, learning about the department’s policies and procedures to getting a look at the equipment, which includes the suits firefighters wear when answering calls, also known as turnout gear.
Masirovits said his initial approach to the job is, “get to know everyone, see how they operate. Just stand back and watch.”
Fire chief David Masirovits talks with Jean Kozarich.
Prior to his first day, Masirovits spent a lot of time on the phone talking to key personnel, and Coffy, who was interim chief following former Chief Keith Barrett’s retirement in December, recently told the trustees he had spoken to Masirovits so often it seemed like they’ve known each other forever.
The new chief said the welcome was very warm when he arrived at his new workplace.
“They had a nice breakfast for me today,” he said. “I already feel like family.”
Having settled into a home in Brookfield, Masirovits said he wants to be one of the family within the larger context of the township.
“I encourage people to stop in or pull me aside and let’s talk,” he said. “I look forward to meeting people.”
He has driven around town a little bit and found it “a beautiful area,” he said.
He has inherited a number of issues, including the frequent shuttering of Station 51 on Addison Road due to the inability to find people to work, and the safety of the main Station 18 on Route 7 stemming from a Sept. 11 accident in which a truck with an open equipment door clipped a wall.
“I’m excited to dive into the problems and see if we can resolve them,” said the 43-year-old, who left a job with the Goose Creek Fire Department in South Carolina to come to Brookfield.
Fire Chief David Masirovits meets with Anna Marie Shargo, center, Ginger Letorneau and Steve Shull at his first Brookfield trustees meeting.
Although he’s an Ashtabula native, Masirovits’ college football ties lie with Michigan, a sore spot with many within the department, who promised to shower him with Ohio State memorabilia.
“It won’t work,” he said, but he didn’t discourage the effort.
“It’s all fun,” he said.
Coming in with the goals of keeping the tradition of the fire department while leading it into the future, Masirovits said he walked into the station with a good feeling and was glad to be there.
“Ready to hit the ground running,” he said.
Masirovits took his oath of office later in the day at the township trustees’ meeting, and Trustee Dan Suttles said a public event and reception will be held in the near future.
