CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Cleveland Fire Department will have a new chief at the turn of the year.
City Manager Janice Casteel recently announced that Capt. Ron Harrison has been appointed to fill the department's top leadership position. He will replace Steve Haun, who has served as fire chief for three years and is retiring at the end of December.
"The city of Cleveland was very fortunate to have five candidates within the department to apply," said Casteel.
The announcement was made after Casteel met with all five applicants on Monday.
"We have a very strong department and I am very proud of it," said Harrison.
Harrison was promoted to captain in 2006 and has served the city fire department for nearly 20 years. He currently commands Station Four, located on Keith Street, the department's largest satellite station.
The new chief has a degree in fire science, concentrating in emergency management, according to the news release. Harrison has a nursing degree and on his off-duty days he has worked as an occupational health specialist with local industries.
Haun recently received a plaque in recognition of his 33 years of service with the fire department.
"We appreciate the service of Chief Haun and we look forward to the continuation of professional fire services for the citizens, businesses and industries of Cleveland," said Casteel.
During his tenure as fire chief, Haun managed to secure critical capital investments to protect firefighters, keep vehicles running and improve emergency response times.
A key firefighting asset requested by Haun is now positioned at 19 intersections throughout the city: GIS-based pre-emption traffic signal controllers.
The new pre-emption system, representing a $170,000 investment, works in long-range zones, said Haun during a strategic planning retreat in January 2013.
Ron HarrisonHaun also successfully requested the addition of two firefighter positions to the department.
The Cleveland Fire Department today consists of 92 personnel and five stations, which serve an estimated 42,774 residents over an approximate area of 27 square miles, according to the city government's website. The department's service area benefits from an ISO Class 3 rating.
In January, Haun recommended that the fire department ultimately expand to seven stations to maintain the current level of service to a growing city.
"We end up working employees to death trying to cover the same services," said Haun, recalling the department's experiences during the recent economic downturn.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.