By Rodd Cayton
Bryan Picchione is excited about the future for Bernalillo Fire Rescue.
Picchione, sworn in Sept. 28 as the town’s new fire chief, says that not only is a new fire station on the horizon, he’s applied for grants that could help the department do its job even better. The town hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Donato Sanchez Fire Station No. 1 hours before Picchione took the oath that formalized a status he’s had since the end of April. Picchione said he’s relieved to be doing one job now instead of three — as interim fire chief, he still had to carry out his lieutenant duties, while sometimes riding on an apparatus to respond to calls.
He said the department is backfilling the lieutenant position and that its fire crews are practically fully staffed.
The new fire station, Mayor Jack Torres earlier told The Paper., is a $10 million project that the town’s representatives in Santa Fe made possible through several years of capital appropriations. Picchione said current grant requests are aimed at getting a new brush truck and vehicle extrication equipment.
If the FEMA grant for the brush truck comes through, he said, the department will have two, increasing its ability to get to those fires more quickly and enabling crews to be deployed elsewhere while leaving the town still covered.
Torres said Picchione’s extensive knowledge of firefighting policies and procedures, experience within the department and his understanding of relevant state laws and familiarity with the community, made him the right candidate for the job.
“He knows the town as well as anybody,” Torres said. “Truly, we saw in him a passion for the position and for the community. That combination made it feel like a good fit for us.”
The Town of Bernalillo Fire and Rescue Department is seeking a certified firefighter/EMT. Anyone interested in the position may review a full list of qualifications here.