Surprise Fire-Medical Department Assistant Chief Brenden Espie will be promoted to Chief on October 15. Espie’s promotion comes with the upcoming retirement of current Chief Tom Abbott on October 14.
Espie is a 21 veteran of the City. Espie began his service to the Surprise Fire-Medical Department in 2001, starting as a firefighter and rising the ranks to Fire Captain, Battalion Chief and Assistant Chief – a role he has held for the last seven years.
“Brenden is passionate about public safety and serving this City. For more than two decades, he has shown excellence in leadership, innovation, planning and fiscal responsibility,” said City Manager Bob Wingenroth in a press release. “He understands the importance of strong relationships and inspires teamwork and pride of work. I am confident that Brenden’s success and dedication will continue in this new role, and I am excited for the future of our fire-medical department.
“I am honored and excited to assume the role of Fire Chief. I understand the responsibility that comes with this position, and I am ready to serve the City and the residents to the best of my ability,” says Espie. “I will always put the public’s safety first. My top priority will be expanding our ambulance service and strategically adding fire stations to ensure the department can adequately keep up with service demands in the developing areas of the city.”
Espie started his career in the United States Air Force, where he served five years with a specialty in firefighting and aviation crash recovery before joining the Fire-Medical team in Surprise.