Press Release - For Immediate Release
For Additional Information Contact: William Gould, Fire Chief
603- 358-6455 ext. 150
October 22, 2020
Swanzey Fire Department Announces Reorganization of Command Structure

 The Swanzey Fire Department recently completed a reorganization of its command structure. Under the changes, a captain, supported by a lieutenant, will now directly oversee each of the Town’s three fire stations. In addition, some position titles in the Department’s administration were changed to better reflect their roles within the agency’s operations. Chief William Gould proposed and the Board of Selectmen approved these changes to better serve the Department and community with higher levels of supervision and accountability. As a result, three lieutenants are being promoted to captains and one firefighter is being promoted to lieutenant. The new station captains will oversee all the operations and duties within the stations, at training and at emergency incident scenes. The captains’ duties will include training, light vehicle and station maintenance, vehicle and equipment checks, and personnel accountability.
The following personnel changes became official on Thursday, October 22, at 0800 hours:
Deputy Chief Mick Sanchez becomes Assistant Chief, Operations
Captain Eric Mattson becomes Deputy Chief, Fire Prevention
Captain Brandon West becomes Deputy Chief, EMS Operations
Lieutenant Geoff Davis becomes Captain, Station 1
Lieutenant Keith Bell becomes Captain, Station 2
Lieutenant Tyke Frazier becomes Captain, Station 3
Firefighter Robert Herrick becomes Lieutenant, assigned to Station 3
Lieutenant Andy Fisher will remain at Station 1
Lieutenant Shawn Beal will remain at Station 2

Assistant Chief Sanchez will continue with the roles and responsibilities he had as deputy chief, including training, payroll, personnel management and scheduling. Fire Inspector Mattson and EMS Coordinator West will move from the captain rank to deputy chiefs of Fire Prevention and EMS Operations, respectively. These positions focus on administrative aspects of the department and will serve the Department better in the chief officer rank. This will also allow for Deputy Chiefs Mattson and West to serve in higher-level command positions at emergency scenes.
Swanzey Fire Department Organizational Chart Effective 10/22/2020

Town of Swanzey Trick-or-Treating Information

The Town of Swanzey Trick-or-Treating will be held on Saturday, October 31st from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, town officials are reminding residents to take precautions if they choose to participate in Halloween festivities.

• Wear a mask over your nose and mouth when trick-or-treating or when handing out treats
• Avoid confined spaces and large gatherings or parties
• Find ways to trick-or-treat while staying at least 6 feet away from others, including when handing out and accepting treats
• Clean hands frequently
• Stay home if you are not feeling well, or if you have been in close contact with someone who is sick with COVID-19 or who has symptoms of COVID-19
• Those who are at greatest risk of severe illness are encouraged to avoid high risk activities

As a reminder, participating in trick-or-treating is completely optional. If you do not wish to participate, please leave your exterior light off or make a sign indicating that you are not participating to notify possible trick-or-treaters.

For more information on safe ways to celebrate Halloween, review recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the State of New Hampshire. These outlined recommendations are subject to change, based on rates of COVID-19 in Swanzey in late October.