John Staley, a veteran Montana firefighter, is Thornton’s new fire chief, the city announced today.
Staley is a 26-year veteran of the Billings, Mont., Fire Department, where he is currently interim fire chief.
Staley has held positions of deputy chief, battalion chief and chief of training for the Billings department.
Staley also has worked as a consultant to the National Fire Protection Association and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
“John has a very impressive background,” said Thornton City Manager Jack Ethredge. “I think his progressive communications skills and training experience are what set him apart from the other applicants we had for the position. We were looking for someone with strong communication ability, who is excited about fire services and who could motivate and mentor simultaneously.”
Staley’s first day will be July 7.
He takes over for Greg Sheehan, who retired earlier this year.
Thornton has 95 fire-department employees, with 81 employees being assigned to five fire stations.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
