Council expects to name new fire chief July 2

by Melissa Martin

June 4 city council meeting

Brecksville City Council approved legislation that sets the stage to promote Lt. Mark Bender to the position of fire chief starting July 5.

Councilman Dan Bender, Mark Bender’s brother, excused himself from discussing the matter and abstained from the vote.

Mayor Daryl Kingston explained the legislation not only establishes the position of fire chief trainee under the city charter, it establishes salary requirements for the position.

After a lengthy testing and interview process earlier this year, Kingston said Bender was selected the next fire chief.  

Following civil service exams, the top three candidates were interviewed by Fire Chief Nick Zamiska and three chiefs from nearby communities. All three candidates are members of the Brecksville Fire Department.

“Bender finished first [on the civil service exam], and it’s fair to say he also bubbled to the top during the actual interview process,” Kingston said.

What made Bender a standout, Kingston added, was his level of experience. Not only has he served as a firefighter/paramedic for the past 32 years, Bender has been a lieutenant for the past six years. Kingston noted that Bender has also served as the Community Emergency Response Team and water rescue team coordinator since 1999. During that time, he has developed and established standardized training and testing protocols for the specialized service.

“He also has experience in grant writing and funding and knows how to manage a budget,” Kingston said.

Equally as commendable, Kingston said, is that Bender earned his associate’s degree in fire prevention technology and a bachelor’s degree in emergency management while serving as an active firefighter.

“He’s really the epitome of a firefighter who’s dedicated his life to fire service, and based on all those factors he’s my recommendation to appoint him to be our next fire chief,” Kingston said.

Bender thanked the administration and council for their support.

“I hope to make great things happen here over the next few years,” he said. “Chief Zamiska is leaving us with a really good department, so my hope is to keep that going.”

Zamiska, who has worked alongside Bender for the past 20 years, said he was looking forward to working with him over the next month and showing him “how to do things right.”

Bender is expected to be named fire chief during council’s July 2 meeting.

Council named Brian Stowe, the former forester for Cleveland Heights, the city’s new tree warden. Service Director Joe Kickel said Stowe is a former colleague in Cleveland Heights.

“We’re glad to have him on our team to assist the residents with all of their tree and horticulture needs,” Kickel said.

Kingston said Stowe was the city’s top candidate for the position by far.

“We’re very fortunate to have him,” Kingston said. “He’s already been working well with the staff, and he interacts incredibly with residents which is very important to me.”