OLD DEERFIELD — For the first time in a couple of decades, the Deerfield Fire Department will swear in a new chief today after the retirement of its previous one.
Daren Melnik, who has been acting chief since June 2017, will be formally appointed at the department on Old Main Street at 4 p.m.
“This really is a big deal for the village to appoint a new fire chief,” said Pat O’Brien, chairman of the prudential committee that oversees the fire district.
O’Brien and the district are encouraging residents to come by for the swearing in if they can, as the department continues to work on making it “more visible and more a part of the community.”
“We want people to know we’re their fire department and we want people to come to us if they need something,” he said. “We’re here to help people and keep them safe.”
Melnik, who has been with the department since he was 17 and worked his way up the ranks to assistant chief, will follow longtime chief Chet Yazwinski.
Yazwinski turned 65 in 2017 and Massachusetts law states for a chief to remain in that role at that age the department needs to file a petition.
O’Brien said the department filed the petition but the process took awhile and by the time it went through, Yazwinski was no longer interested in remaining chief. During that time, Melnik was the acting chief.
Melnik received the unanimous support of the board to remain the fire chief, if he wanted the position. “It’s a family decision because of the responsibilities and the pressures put on that person,” O’Brien said. Melnik’s family backed his decision to accept the job.
O’Brien said they were pleased with the work he has done to modernize some elements of the department, including with training and communication techniques.
“When a new guy comes in, he brings in new ideas,” O’Brien said. “Sometimes they’re well accepted and sometimes they’re not,” but with Melnik, he said there has been resounding support from the department of about a dozen active firefighters.
“We surely view what he’s done as positive,” he said. “That weighed heavily on our decision.”