Greene Timeout foratest Fire chief retiring Dec. 31
As of Dec. 31, Fire Chief Jim Neidhard will be retiring from the City of Bellbrook Fire Department after seven years of service as the city’s second fire chief. He was hired as chief in January of 2014, and this marks the end of a 35-year career.
Neid hard began his career in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter at Washington Township in 1985. He began his full-time career in 1990 as a firefighter/paramedic at Miamisburg before returning to Washington Township in 1993.
He served in various roles during his 21-year tenure at Washington Township and ultimately served as their deputy chief.
During his tenure in Bellbrook, the department obtained an ISO rating of 2, which put the department in the top 3% of the nation. He digitized the department’s reporting technology, updated all department policies to be in line with best practices, and secured a grant for the department’s CPR LUCAS devices. Neidhard also saw the passage of a new levy in 2018, which allowed the increase of staffing to safer numbers. He has overseen numerous equipment
and apparatus purchases to provide the department with the tools necessary to provide excellent service to the community.
At a recent City Council meeting, the announcementwasmade that Anthony Bizzarro will be the city’s third full-time fire chief. He will transition to his position fully on Jan. 1. He has had a long career with the City of Bellbrook and the city is excited for him to take this leadership role.
Bizzarro began with the Bellbrook Fire Department as a cadet in 1988. When he turned 18 years and was able he became a volunteer firefighter/EMT in 1995. In
1999 he became part of the first group of part-time firefighters for the department. He transitioned to full-time in 2006where he worked through the ranks before his last promotion as deputy chief since 2018.
He also has served as amember of Ohio Task Force 1 as a Technical Search Specialist from 20002012. Hewas also anAssistant Fire Instructor at Sinclair Community College from 2010 to 2016.
Bizzarro completed his associates in Fire Science Technology in 2015 and his Bachelor of Science in Fire Administration.