ORANGE : Fire, Water Agency Heads Announced
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Mayor Gene Beyer and City Manager Ron L. Thompson have named longtime city employees to head the fire and water departments.
Beyer selected Ed Rowlett, administrative division chief of the Fire Department, to replace Fire Chief Martel Thompson, who retired in December.
Rowlett joined the city as a firefighter in 1964. He has served as an engineer, battalion chief, first division chief and fire marshal. In 1990, Rowlett was named operations division chief and later that year was promoted to administrative division chief.
Dave Rudat, a 20-year veteran of the city’s Fire Department, has been named assistant fire chief.
The city water department is also under new leadership, after Supt. John Fonley’s retirement last fall. Joel Wright, assistant water superintendent since 1974, was promoted to head the department. Wright began working for the water department part time in 1962.
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