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Brigham City fire chief asks council to split assistant chief and fire‑marshal roles after long‑time resignation
Summary
Following the resignation of an assistant fire chief/fire marshal with 26 years' service, the fire department and city administration proposed splitting the combined role into two positions and asked the council for consent to post the assistant‑chief job; staff said the mayor’s budget includes the split for FY26.
Brigham City’s fire chief told the City Council Wednesday that the assistant fire chief and fire‑marshal — a combined role in the current organization — has resigned after 26 years and that the department and mayor’s office want to split that position into two distinct jobs in the FY26 budget.
Chief Stevenson said the two jobs involve different responsibilities and professional pathways: the fire marshal oversees prevention, inspections, code enforcement, fire investigation and development plan review, while the assistant chief handles day‑to‑day operations and incident management. He said training to perform either role at a high level can take years and that combining both duties placed heavy demands on the incumbent.
The mayor’s proposed budget includes two positions rather than the single combined post, and Chief Stevenson said the department had already conducted interviews for the fire‑marshal role and planned to post the assistant‑chief position. He asked the council for permission to post the assistant chief job immediately; the chief and the city administrator said there would not be a budget shortfall in the current fiscal year if the council consented to post the position.
Why it matters: splitting the positions would separate prevention and inspection responsibilities (fire marshal) from operational command (assistant chief), a structure the chief described as common in other departments and appropriate for the city and for Perry City, which Brigham City serves by contract.
Council and staff follow up
City Administrator Derek Oiler and human resources staff said the posted salary for the fire‑marshal position had prompted public questions when it appeared online; staff said they conducted a compensation study against about 28 Utah cities (TechNet data) and will share comparative numbers with council. Oiler said overall city wages are near the state average and that the new posting for a split role was budgeted in the mayor’s plan presented to council.
Operational detail and timing
The chief said he and staff would finalize the assistant chief posting for a minimum 10‑day open application period consistent with city policy; no formal council motion was required to post the position, and council members verbally indicated consent at the meeting. Staff said the mayor’s FY26 budget includes funding for the two separate positions pending council approval of the budget.
Ending
Council did not take a formal vote on hiring; staff will return with the FY26 budget and comparative compensation details as part of the budget process.
