Kelleher named Maricopa Fire Chief

In a largely unannounced, in-house ceremony at the Maricopa Fire Station Wednesday morning William Kelleher was named as Maricopa Fire Chief.

Kelleher, who was hired by the Fire District Board as a consultant in February, took over as Interim Chief when Eddie Rodriguez was granted a lateral transfer in early April.

In a recent Rancho El Dorado forum posting, Fire District Board member Sandra Baker-Probasco stated, “I can assure every resident that since February 7th when the Board hired Bill Kelleher as a consultant and April 9th when the Board appointed him as Interim Fire Chief, the District has been “non stop” and made tremendous strides.”

A 22-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, Kelleher’s new position brings him back to his firefighter roots. In the past 20 years he has been a moving force in fire and environmental safety in industry.

City Manager Rick Buss originally recommended Kelleher for the consultant’s job, having known him for approximately 25 years.

Kelleher’s first priority was to evaluate the needs of the fire district. Since coming on board, he has listened and reorganized. The division of duties has become defined with the naming of Dan Ashton as Chief of Operations and Eddie Rodriguez as Chief of Fire Safety last week.

Under Kelleher’s leadership, the Maricopa Fire Department transitioned from a volunteer to a full-time department of six firefighters with six more, including the first female, becoming part of the department on July 25. At the last Maricopa Fire District meeting, Kelleher stated that six additional personnel would be needed in a month, bringing the total number in the department to 24. (see related story)

The new chief has advocated for and acquired new equipment, a new ladder truck, a new uniform patch and departmental badge, among other things. He has also added technology to modernize the department and make it more efficient.

At a recent appreciation ceremony held in Kelleher’s honor, Chief Ashton credited the then Interim Chief’s experience for directing the growing department “in the way it needs to grow.”

It is obvious that the Maricopa Fire Department has a bright future with Chief Kelleher at the helm.