As Everett’s next fire chief, Eric Hicks wants to embrace change and innovation while also keeping close the department’s rich history and traditions.
It was announced Wednesday that Hicks, a longtime Everett firefighter, will succeed Chief Murray Gordon who is set to retire in January.
Hicks will lead the department as more people are moving to the city, and developers are building higher. At the same time, there still are plenty of old-school apartments that predate modern fire codes. Every firetruck contains computers but crews also must know how to revert to pen-and-paper just in case.