The changing of the guard continues in Anaheim with the upcoming search for a new fire chief to replace Randy Bruegman, who will retire at the end of the year.
In March, the City Council named a new city attorney, and officials announced their pick for police chief last week. They’re also on the verge of hiring a new city manager, and that person will choose a fire chief, city spokesman Mike Lyster said.
Bruegman, 62, said he and his wife have been planning since last year to move to Wisconsin to be near their son and daughter and grandchildren.
During his eight-year tenure as chief, Bruegman added equipment to fight wildland fires and created a program that sends an ambulance with a nurse-practitioner and paramedic on calls to treat people at home when appropriate, limiting unnecessary emergency room visits. He’d like the department to expand that program, he said, adding up to five more Community Care Response Units.
The next chief is also expected to look at options for a permanent fire protection system in fire-prone canyons and more aggressive clearing of vegetation, Bruegman said.