Ex-Philly official appointd new U.D. fire chief
UPPERDARBY » Monday was a historic day for the Upper Darby Fire Department as its new fire chief, Derrick Sawyer, was sworn in as the first person from outside the township to take that leadership role.
Sawyer is also the first person of color hired in the firefighting ranks and will oversee a department with more than 55 career and 75 volunteer firefighters.
During his 20 years in the Philadelphia Fire Department, he served in every rank starting at Engine 35 in North Philadelphia and becoming the fire commissioner in 2016. As deputy chief of fire prevention, he helped the city record the lowest civilian fatality count in history. In 2018, Sawyer went to Trenton as the fire director and emergency management coordinator.
“He has shown that he can help complex departments run smoothly, efficiently, and safely,” said Upper Darby Mayor Barbarann Keffer, who oversaw the hiring. “Derrick also brings with him extensive leadership skills; he oversaw nearly a dozen battalions and led multiple divisions successfully.”
Keffer added that Sawyer had the unanimous endorsement of the township council.
Sawyer holds multiple degrees, including a Master of Science in Homeland Security from St. Joseph University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Safety Administration from Holy Family.
The township received 27 applications from across the country for the position, which pays $145,000 per year. They narrowed them down to five for final interviews.
Keffer said she was impressed that Sawyer didn’t try to talk over her in her talks with him.
“He seemed to be a good listener and that is what we need here,” Keffer said. “His experience is unmatched and his qualifications are exemplary. I’m so happy he was available and interested.”
“I think it’s a great day for Upper Darby. This is the next step. Upper Darby is a fantastic fire department and now under Chief Sawyer’s leadership, I think it is going to go further,” said Delaware County Emergency Services Director Tim Boyce, who was part of the search committee. “I want to applaud Mayor Keffer and the township for hiring competent people who care and I think that is going to be the hallmark of Chief Sawyer. He has the skills, the experience and the passion to serve the community. I’m excited for Upper Darby.”
The swearing in took place at Cardington Stonehurst Fire Co., one of four that houses career firefighters. Sawyers’ wife Suzette and his mother Frances Kelley were by his side for the brief event that was witnessed by than 25 firefighters and friends.
Keffer also took a moment to thank interim Chief Mike Gove for his service.
“I promise you we are going to be a community-based fire service. We going to move together as a team,” said Sawyer following his swearing in. “We are going to make sure we keep this city safe, prepared, healthy and resilient.”
Sawyer said the health and safety of firefighters will be a priority for him.
“If we aren’t safe ourselves, we can’t keep the community safe,” he noted and added he will focus on making sure crews have the proper equipment and tools for safety along with health and wellness and fitness programs.
“We will build on the fitness program and we have good health benefits, so we want to be sure firefighters use them for checkups,” Sawyer said. “We want to make sure we encourage our members to go get checked out on a regular basis. Most illnesses that come with firefighting, if we get them early on, they are curable. The goal, if you are going to do 25 years as a career (firefighter), is to be able to retire and live your life in a healthy lifestyle.”
According to NFPA, in 2019, 48 firefighters died in the line of duty, 22 of them from heart attacks, the largest single cause.
While never having worked
with volunteer firefighters, Sawyer did say he has worked with volunteers in other organizations and understands their needs and that communication is vital.
“The most challenging
piece in dealing with volunteers is making sure they have a seat at the table,” Sawyer said. “I don’t know what the issues are here or if there are any here, but my first job and first goal is to sit everybody down at the table and make sure we are on the same page and having conversations.”
Sawyer worked in Trenton
for 22 months and thinks of that city as comparable to Upper Darby, with a similar size and a high-density population.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told NJ.com that Sawyer would be extremely hard to replace in his city but that Sawyer had grown frustrated with city council’s “constant push-back on anything
that would move the city forward.”
“Director Sawyer puts in 12- to 14-hour days, then has to attend sometimes sevenhour council meetings twice a week,” Gusciora said. “I don’t think it’s something he signed up for.”
Sawyer said he will be on the lookout for state federal grants that can improve the
department.
“The fire service has grown over the past 25-30 years. We want to keep up with the trends and keep up with the technology,” Sawyer said. He added that fire service issues are similar from one organization to another.
“The fire service is the fire service. I tell people the only difference is that patch on
the sleeve. The same issues that you have in one organization, you will have in another organization,” Sawyer said. “We just have to make sure we can put processes in place, build relationships and work on making this organization even better. I’m not saying it’s not a good organization, but we can always make things better.”