The Moraga-Orinda Fire District removed the interim tag from Stephen Healy's title Oct. 16 and appointed him as the fifth fire chief in the history of the district. Healy succeeds Randall Bradley, who departed in July.
Healy confirmed that he is taking on his new role as the district faces significant challenges. In fact, the board announced his appointment the same day it authorized him to initiate district service cutbacks. But Healy appeared undaunted by the task. "I have a high degree of confidence that we will stabilize our finances and move forward as an organization," he said.
Having the top candidate in-house obviated the need to conduct an executive search, according to board president John Wyro. "The search firms know who's out there," he said. "We knew we already had the right guy."
Wyro also noted that there was a significant benefit to promoting a candidate from the ranks. "Keeping our team together has great value," he said. "Especially during such a challenging time for the district."
"I was delighted to hear of the appointment of chief Healy to this permanent position," said county supervisor Candace Andersen. "He brings the strong leadership and experience we need for MOFD as it works together with ConFire to determine how to best provide the fire, disaster and emergency medical services for our Lamorinda region."
Healy has been with MOFD for seven years and has over 27 years of experience as a fire service professional in California.
Before you print this article, please remember that it will remain in our archive for you to visit anytime. download pdf (use the pdf document for best printing results!)