By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — He started in the Bloomfield Township Fire Department in 1985 when he was 23. After many years of service, Assistant Fire Chief David Piché will soon get his chance to lead the department.

The Bloomfield Township Board voted unanimously on July 28 to allow Piché to become the township’s new fire chief.

Although retiring Chief Leo Chartier is not leaving until Sept. 30, Piché was sworn in for the job at the meeting. Township Supervisor Dave Payne called Piché a born leader who has earned the promotion.

“He has aspired to this position for a long time,” Payne said. “He’s worked hard, he’s been humble, yet he’s had a focus.”

Piché, 46, called himself lucky and thanked Chartier for all the coaching and counseling.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight,” Piché said. “He’s put things in my career path that have allowed me to excel.”

Piché holds a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration from Eastern Michigan University.

While Piché has been an assistant chief since July 2007, his promotion was not a guarantee. Two other candidates in the department applied for the job, Chartier said before the meeting.

“All three of them were excellent candidates, and they all could’ve made excellent chiefs,” he said. “(Piché) has a well-rounded background and has worked his way up through the ranks, and he just did an excellent job in the process.”

According to Chartier, the fire chief is responsible for the safety of staff and the preservation of property, and he is also the local emergency management coordinator.

Chartier said he intends to step back and start letting his successor make decisions. Piché will eventually have to deal with challenging constraints on personnel and equipment, he said.

“We’re doing more with less,” Chartier said. “It is certainly a reality, and we’ve tried to prepare ourselves for that.”

After the meeting, Piché said he hopes to take the Fire Department to the next level. “The biggest things are to keep maintaining the high service levels against what perhaps is the toughest economy we’ve been in since the 80s,” he said.

Chartier said the Fire Department currently has a staff of around 67, though some employees have retired lately. He said four have left since last fall, and another four (including himself) are supposed to retire by the end of September.

After a 31-year career in the township that includes almost 17 years as fire chief, Chartier said he plans to spend time with family and “find myself.” But he said he would miss the people and the challenges of his job.

“You never know what each day is going to bring,” he said.