Moorhead

Fire Dept

111 12th St N

Moorhead MN  56560

(218) 299-5432

Meeting the test: Moorhead's new fire chief impressing

By Amy Dalrymple, The Forum
July 11, 2004

Moorhead's new fire chief has already hit the ground running.

Joel Hewitt recently took over leadership of the Moorhead Fire Department, but city officials say they're impressed with how much Hewitt prepared himself for the job.

The former St. Anthony, Minn., fire chief replaced Marty Soeth, who retired in January. "Joel has a very low-key, very solid approach to the issues facing Moorhead," City Manager Bruce Messelt said.

Hewitt, a 28-year firefighting veteran in Twin Cities departments, visited Moorhead several times since being hired in March, Mayor Mark Voxland said.

"I've been real impressed with him," Voxland said of Hewitt, who officially began his new job on Tuesday. "He seems to be working really hard to get to know the fire shifts."

Hewitt, 49, said he is eager to take on the challenges of leading a fire department in a growing community.

His post in St. Anthony – a Minneapolis suburb of about 8,000 in about 2½ square miles – didn't allow him to exercise his abilities, he said.

But Hewitt does have experience working in larger cities. While leading the St. Anthony department, he worked for the volunteer fire department in Roseville, Minn.

Hewitt's first career firefighting job was in Maplewood, Minn., which at the time employed the largest number of firefighters in the state, he said.

While working in the Twin Cities, Hewitt and chiefs from neighboring suburbs often pooled their resources.

Hewitt said he hopes to use that experience to look for ways to increase cooperation between Fargo and Moorhead.

His No. 1 goal, however, is to partner with the firefighters and make sure they have the best equipment, training and support possible.

"I'll take care of my people," Hewitt said. "That's my biggest charge."

The search process to replace Soeth, who served nearly 42 years with the department, was extensive, Voxland said.

City officials, citizens and City Council members all recommended Hewitt as their top choice of three finalists.

Joe Gaughn, Moorhead's assistant chief in charge of training, and John Thomsen, acting battalion chief in Kenosha, Wis., were the other finalists.

The starting salary for Hewitt is $74,067.40, said Jean Thompson, the city's director of human resources.

Hewitt will be sworn in at the July 19 Moorhead City Council meeting.

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Last modified: August 02, 2007