New fire chief in Oregon

By: 
Kelly J. Kaczala

        Oregon Mayor Mike Seferian announced on Thursday he will appoint Clayton O’Brien to be the new fire chief. He will replace current Fire Chief Dennis Hartman, who is retiring on Dec. 2.
        “Clayton brings outstanding experience, focus and energy to the position,” stated Seferian in a statement issued to the media. “I look forward to working with him and believe he is the right person to continue moving our Oregon Fire/Rescue Department forward.”
        Seferian later told The Press that he knew for the last two years that Hartman would be retiring.
        “We knew it was coming. We just didn’t know when it would be. Several months ago he picked Dec. 2 as his retirement date.”
        O’Brien, 38, is currently the fire chief in Napoleon, where he became acting city manager after Seferian appointed Napoleon’s previous city manager, Joel Mazur, to fill the Oregon city administrator position that was held by Mike Beazley, who retired recently.
       
Leadership
        O’Brien, said Seferian, “has personality and charisma.”
        “You either have it or you don’t,” he said.
        “He also has a lot of energy, and wit,” he added. “If someone is not very personable, not witty and don’t have that energy level, those are things you can’t achieve. He was radiating energy. I felt great after talking to him.”
        O’Brien is expected to be at Monday’s city council meeting, where members will vote on whether to approve the mayor’s appointment.
        O’Brien was appointed the fire chief in Napoleon on April 20, 2015, according to the City of Napoleon website.. He began his career as a volunteer firefighter for the Delta Community Fire Department in 2005. He then went on to work as a full-time firefighter/paramedic for the City of Fostoria until he was hired by the City of Napoleon in 2009. He is a national and state certified paramedic, firefighter, inspector, and instructor in both fire and EMS. He is also a graduate of the Ohio Fire Academy Fire Officer Series.
        He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Ohio Fire Chiefs, Northwest Ohio Fire Chiefs, and Henry County Fire Chiefs.
 
        

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