FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 7, 2024
Contact: Steve Smirti, Director of Communications (ssmirti@medford-ma.gov), 781-393-2529
Mayor Lungo-Koehn Appoints Medford Deputy Chief Todd Evans as Interim Fire Chief
City reviewing proposals and deciding on next steps regarding the weekend of Feb. 2nd-6th
(MEDFORD)—Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has appointed Medford Deputy Chief Todd Evans as interim chief of the Medford Fire Department. Evans joined the Medford Fire Department in 2001. He was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2021.
His appointment comes after the Mayor attempted to appoint an interim chief, who was set to start February 26th, from outside of the fire department, but the candidate later rescinded the offer after being dissuaded by union leaders.
The Mayor then met separately with the five deputy chiefs of the Medford Fire Department last week. As a result of those interviews, the Mayor determined that Deputy Chief Evans was the best choice to lead the department until a permanent Chief is named.
“Union leadership scared off my first appointment because he was from another fire department. Hopefully they will support Chief Evans as he has shown to be an honest and forward-thinking leader, who recognizes the need to modernize and expand oversight in the department,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “I’m confident that with the right support and managerial training, Chief Evans will be able to meet any challenge that may arise. The fire department needs to rebuild trust with the community in light of recent events that occurred in early February costing our taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. It is my hope that Chief Evans and I can work together to ensure that something like that will never happen again, and that we focus on moving the department forward.”
The City is also in the process of reviewing proposals and discussing next steps regarding the weekend of February 2nd-6th as well as an extensive organizational review of the fire department to determine what measures need to be enacted to better service the community.
“The Medford Fire Department has been my home for twenty-two years and getting the chance to lead this group is a tremendous honor,” Evans said. “Thank you to Mayor Lungo-Koehn with trusting me with this responsibility and offering her guidance and support in this new role.”
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Steve Smirti
Director of Communications | Office of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn
Medford City Hall
85 George P Hassett Dr, Medford, MA 02155
781-393-2529 (office)
781-885-4296 (mobile)
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Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable under the Massachusetts Public Records Law and its regulations. *Please consider the environment before printing this email.*
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