Brookfield trustees have chosen a fourth-generation firefighter as the next fire chief.
David Masirovits follows a father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who all have been fire chiefs.
“I was running fire calls with my dad as a young child,” said Masirovits, 43, who was hired Friday, Aug. 17.
Masirovits, who will be paid $65,000, starts Oct. 1 — his hiring contingent on passing a physical and a criminal background check.
“I’m excited about this opportunity,” he said.
Masirovits will replace Fire Chief Keith Barrett, who retired in December. Capt. Dave Coffy has been interim chief since Barrett’s retirement.
Masirovits was one of 18 who applied for the job, six chosen to undergo assessment center testing by the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, four who were interviewed and two who went through second interviews.
“It was a struggle to find a good person, meaning they all were good,” said Trustee Dan Suttles.

David Masirovits

David Masirovits

But, Masirovits rose to the top in his assessment center scoring, vision for the fire department, knowledge of the department and the community and understanding of the work ahead of him, trustees said.
“He brings a lot to the table,” Trustee Ron Haun said. “He’s going to be very beneficial to our fire department. He is going to benefit our men immensely with the experience that he brings to the table. He’s a team player and that jumped out to us when we interviewed him, but he also has great leadership qualities that are going to be very beneficial to our department. I know that we made the right decision.”
Trustee Gary Lees spoke of Masirovits as a long-term chief and a “groomer for the next fire chief, whenever that happens.”
“Religiously, I think God was involved in this decision, because we certainly need in this township some new, fresh air,” Lees said.
Born and raised in Ashtabula, Masirovitz worked for the Conneaut Fire Department from 1995 to 2009, and then took a job with the Goose Creek Fire Department in South Carolina. He lives in Ladson, S.C.
A paramedic and firefighter, Masirovitz, has earned the rank of captain and been an incident commander at fire and major medical scenes, Suttles said.
Masirovitz said he and his family have wanted to come back to Ohio “for some time” and want to live in a small community.
“The community supports the fire department, from what I understand, above and beyond what other communities tend to relay,” he said of Brookfield.
He said he wants the input of the community, as well as the members of the department and the trustees, in forging his path as chief.
“I look forward to continuing the tradition, enhancing the service and leading the department into the future,” he said.
Married 22 years and a father of daughters aged 24 and 22 and a son, 12, Masirovits said he hopes to live in the township and have his son attend Brookfield schools, but has done no house hunting.
“They do support me in this,” he said of his family. “They’re understanding of this position and its requirements.”
Masirovitz will be a hands-on chief, Suttles said.
“We need a chief that isn’t just a 9-to-5 chief,” Suttles said. “We need somebody that, when bad things happen at 2 o’clock in the morning, he’s going to be there. We would like him to be available and respond to emergencies after hours. He said, ‘Certainly. I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ He said all the right things. I believe he’s genuine.”
Haun added that Masirovits is goal-oriented and driven, but does not run over people in order to obtain those goals.
“He can do it in a professional manner, without upsetting people,” Haun said. “That’s important. He’s a leader.”