Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – Marc Zingarelli, a 25-year veteran of the Circleville Fire Department, was sworn in Monday as its new chief.
Zingarelli has served as captain for the department for about four years and as acting chief since the retirement of Tim Tener on Jan. 31.
The selection was made through the civil service process, according to Tom Hamman, city safety director, which included a competitive written test and an assessment by other fire chiefs.
“Marc has been interim fire chief since Chief Tener retired, and he’s done a good job,” Hamman said. “He’s really stepped up, made some difficult decisions and has shown true leadership. We believe we’ll see that continue.”
Zingarelli said he never expected to see himself promoted to chief, but he is looking forward to what lies ahead.
“Honestly, I thought I’d retire as captain,” he said. “Sitting in that office is someplace I never expected to be. As it turned out, I was good at it.”
Zingarelli said his immediate goals are to start improving the department by bringing it up to current standards, applying for grant funding and bringing back stability to a crew that has seen some recent turnover through resignations and retirements.
“There have been a lot of changes recently, and getting everyone on the same sheet of music is a priority,” he said.
In addition to his new duties as fire chief, Zingarelli said he plans to continue teaching advanced cardiac life support at The Ohio State University and serving as a paramedic for the transport unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
A member of the Circleville Fire Department now will be promoted to fill Zingarelli’s former captain position, which will also be decided through the civil service process. That decision is expected by Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
