LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After 24 years, Louisville Division of Fire Chief Greg Frederick is retiring.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that Frederick is stepping down after 39 years with the department. He officially retires on Aug. 1, when Battalion Chief Maj. Brian O'Neill takes the job as chief.
"Chief Frederick has done an outstanding job serving our community for decades. Our city owes him a great debt, and I, along with our entire community, want to offer our most sincere thanks to him. Louisville Fire and our city are better off for his commitment, and he leaves tremendous shoes to fill," Greenberg said.
Frederick called his long tenure his greatest honor to serve the city.
"It has been the greatest career I could've ever imagined. I will depart as the longest serving chief in LFD history as well as the longest serving metropolitan fire chief in the United States," said Frederick. "I have given a lot, I have sacrificed a lot, and now it's time for me to see what the next chapter brings."
Louisville Division of Fire Chief Greg Frederick will retire August 1, 2023. He will retire as the longest-serving chief in the department's history and the longest-serving metropolitan chief in the United States. Image courtesy Louisville Division of Fire.
The chief left his team with the words, "Good luck, farewell and godspeed."
Frederick was appointed as the 20th department chief in July 1999 and served in that job for nearly 24 years. He is the longest serving chief in LFD history and the longest serving metropolitan fire chief in the country.
Frederick started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1978 when he was just 16. After joining the Louisville Division of Fire in 1984, he rose through the ranks to company commander, district chief and then, in 1999 at the age of 36, to chief.
Greenberg said that O'Neill, 49, will take the job as Louisville Fire Chief. O'Neill has been with the department since 2001, after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"I'm excited, and I'm very eager. I'm very honored and humbled to be entrusted with this, but I'm also very excited to take on this new role and kind of pick up the ball and carry it down the field a little bit further," O'Neill said.
O'Neill said he knows the leadership change will be a big shift for the department but is ready to move things forward.
Louisville Division of Fire Battalion Chief Brian O'Neill will take over as Chie of Fire on Aug. 1. (WDRB Image from video) May 17, 2023
"I think there's always going to be new challenges, that's the part and parcel of everything we do. Everyday you come to work, when that bell goes off you don't know what you're about to be faced with. So yes, new challenges will come."
As Louisville Fire Chief, O'Neill said one of his top priorities will be putting a larger focus on mental health.
"Getting rid of that stigma and making sure our people know a knee injury and a mental health injury are the same. Get them the rehab they need and get them back to work," he said.
O'Neill has also served for over a decade as president of the Louisville Professional Firefighters, Local #54.
Jeff Taylor has worked alongside O'Neill for 12 years as Vice President.
"His wife says that he is my office wife and vice versa, so that defines our relationship. We are very close," joked Taylor. "We're not like minded. We are completely different people, but we recognize that and we work together to come up with solutions that are in the best interest of not just the men and women of this department but of the Louisville Division of Fire as a whole."
Maj. Brian O'Neill will take over as Louisville Division of Fire Chief August 1, 2023. He has more than two decades experience with the department and eight years experience as a Marine. Image courtesy Louisville Division of Fire.
Taylor said he believes O'Neill well suited for the job because he has a history of working with politicians and city government in his role with the union.
"I think he'll bring that knowledge and that experience back to the chief position, and it'll be an even stronger fit than we've had in the past," he said.
Nick Groft, who also works with the union, said he views O'Neill as a mentor.
"Brian is an amazing leader. He helps with anything and everything you need out there. I think he has always looked out for the men and women of the Louisville Division of Fire, and I think he'll be able to do that even more now in his new role as chief," said Groft.
"Chief Frederick has done an amazing job leading us for the past two and a half decades, but I think Brian brings something else to the table. I've worked fires with him in the last month or so. I think him recently being on the street maybe brings a little bit of what the rank and file members are looking for," Groft added.
The Louisville Division of Fire includes more than 500 men and women who respond to more than 50,000 incidents a year, including fires, medical emergencies, hazardous spills, water rescues and trench rescues.
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