Amesbury tabs Brickett as fire chief

By Katie Farrell
Staff writer

April 04, 2008 05:43 am

—

AMESBURY — In the end, the element of surprise was gone.

Standing in front of the engines outside the Amesbury fire station yesterday, Mayor Thatcher Kezer was ready to announce the new fire chief. Standing next to him was acting fire Chief Jonathan Brickett.

"I know you're all anxious and you probably have no clue who it's going to be," Kezer joked, before making his announcement.

After a three-month search process, the mayor named Brickett as the next fire chief in Amesbury. Brickett served as deputy fire chief under former Chief Bill Shute. When Shute retired in October, Brickett was named acting chief. A salary and official start date are still being negotiated.

Brickett joined the Fire Department in 1979 as a call firefighter. He became a permanent member of the department in 1983. He was promoted to deputy fire chief in 2003.

In the past, the tradition in Amesbury was that the chief would rise through the ranks and the deputy chief would be chosen when the chief retired. Kezer changed that by launching a national search and spending $10,000 for a consultant to assist in the process to fill the position.

"Jon earned the appointment by being the best candidate for the position," Kezer said. "It truly was a competitive process."

Brickett showed a willingness to enact changes and to take the department to a higher level and make it even better, Kezer said.

Twenty applicants applied for the position, and all had the status of deputy fire chief or chief. Candidates were mostly from New England, Kezer said, with one application arriving from Missouri. Kezer interviewed the five finalists last Saturday.

Brickett called the day "very exciting."

During his time as acting chief, Brickett began his department's model of Kezer's AmesStat management tool. He dubbed the system "FireStat."

He said yesterday he plans to build on that and other programs he's started to put in place.

"Oversight, efficiency and effectiveness — that's the goal," Brickett said.

Kezer hired the consulting firm Bennett Yarger Associates, based in Plymouth, in December to help with the search for the new chief. The consultant conducted interviews and met with town staff as they compiled job descriptions and began advertising the position.

Kezer has also hired Bennett Yarger Associates to aid in the search for a new Public Works director, for which he will interview tomorrow. The company's fee is $8,000 for the Public Works director search.

When the applications for fire chief were in, the firm screened the resumes before interviews were scheduled with town officials. Joining in the interviews with the finalists on Saturday were Chief of Staff Kendra Amaral and Chief Financial Officer Mike Basque.

Barry Del Castillo, acting town manager of South Hadley and former public safety director in Durham, N.C., and Richard Kobayashi, the president of Bennett Yarger Associates, sat in on the interviews but did not ask questions.

Brickett has an associate's degree in fire science and technology from North Shore Community College and is working toward his bachelor's degree in fire management at Salem State College. He completed the Fire Academy in 1995.

Kezer said he will finalize the date when the appointment will become official, and the department will hold a formal "change of command" ceremony, or a traditional transfer of leadership ceremony.

"There's a lot of authority that comes in being the chief," Kezer said, adding that the ceremony will be a way to publicly display the transition of power to a new leader.

Firefighters yesterday praised the appointment.

"I think it's great," Lt. Craig Deguio said. "We're all very pleased and happy with the mayor's choice. I think (Brickett) is a super person, and he's going to be a great administrator."

George Lorden, a dispatcher at the station, agreed the mayor made the right choice.

"I think it's a big breath of fresh air for the members," Lorden said. "Jon's not only dedicated to the community, but he's dedicated to his men, too."

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