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New Farmington Hills fire chief takes command
Feb 09, 2016

Jon Unruh grew up in Farmington Hills and cut his firefighter teeth as a paid on-call firefighter for his hometown department.

Some 28 years later Unruh is officially running the department.

Unruh, hired last month to replace the retired Corey Bartsch, took the reins as the sixth fire chief in Farmington Hills history Monday after being sworn in by city Clerk Pam Smith.

“This is certainly a ‘wow’ moment,” Unruh told the small crowd gathered at Fire Station #5. “This is a very exciting time for me, personally and professionally. I grew up in Farmington Hills, and I’m humbled to return as the fire chief today.”

After starting as a paid on-call firefighter in Farmington Hills, Unruh moved to the Livonia Fire Department in 1989. He’s worked his way up to captain there, while maintaining his part-time dispatcher position for Farmington Hills police and fire.

Unruh has a bachelor’s degree in public safety studies from Sienna Heights, and a master’s degree in emergency management from Eastern Michigan University. He’s also a licensed paramedic who has completed the Staff & Command course at Eastern Michigan University.

Farmington Hills Mayor Ken Massey, noting Unruh is just the sixth chief in department history, pointed out the longevity of most department heads in Farmington Hills.

He believes Unruh will fit right in.

“We don’t change (department heads) frequently,” Massey said. “To be coming in as only the sixth chief speaks volumes to how long people stay in Farmington Hills. We are handing the reins of our department to someone who is very well qualified.”

Unruh was one of 11 applicants for the job of replacing Bartsch. Of those 11, city officials interviewed four candidates just before the Christmas/New Year’s break. He’s been part of the Wayne County Hazardous Materials team and the Western Wayne County Urban Search and Rescue team.

City Manager Dave Boyer pointed out that, in Livonia, Unruh handled all varieties of major programs, is a certified paramedic and professional emergency manager.

With all of that experience, Boyer said, Unruh came out of those interviews as the clear choice.

“His education, his experience, the work he has done and the recommendations we received made him stand out as the person to hire,” Boyer said. “For all those reasons and many more, we chose Jon Unruh as our new fire chief.”

Unruh thanked his wife, Bonnie, who pinned his new chief’s badge to his uniform, and thanked his children — Megan, Brendan and Sydney. He thanked the several fire chiefs from surrounding communities who “took time out to be here,” and also thanked the many members of his new command in attendance.

And, while he’s got to give up the part-time duties he had as a dispatcher for the Farmington Hills Police Department, he noted he wouldn’t be going far.

“It’s been a privilege to work for ... the police department for 28 years,” Unruh said. “I’m happy I still have the opportunity to work alongside you to keep our residents safe.”


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IAFF Local 1164
14910 Farmington Rd.
Livonia, MI 48154
  7344662444

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