Chillicothe Fire Department: Changing of the Guard
CT 02 22 19

The Chillicothe Fire Department (CFD) has had some significant changes in leadership recently. With the retirement of 40-year veteran Assistant Chief Kevin Hoskins, the CFD lost a wealth of knowledge. His retirement obviously will have a huge impact on the department and will be hard to replace. After some precise budgeting and command staff restructuring by Fire Chief Darrell Wright, Kevin's retirement created multiple openings for some up-and-coming firefighters looking to continue the success of the department's reputation. Captain Les Hinnen, Lieutenants Aaron Minnick and Tracy Bradley, and Firefighters Rob Williams and Derrick Allen were all selected for promotion in a lengthy formal selection process.

Captain Les Hinnen was promoted to Battalion Chief. He has served over 31 years with CFD. He began his career as a firefighter with the Chula Rural FD. In 1988, he was hired by CFD as a paid by call firefighter. In November 1990, he was hired full-time. He was promoted to engineer in 1998; to lieutenant in 2012; and was promoted to captain in 2014. Most recently, he was promoted to battalion chief. Hinnen has two children, Monica Burton of Danaco, Colorado, and Jessica of Independence, along with three grandchildren whom he loves spending time with. Hinnen enjoys fishing on his time off.

Lieutenant Tracy Bradley was promoted to captain. She is currently an EMT and has been with the Chillicothe Fire Department for 20 years. She started on the ambulance side but crossed over early in her career and has held the positions of engineer and lieutenant. Bradley and her husband David have two sons, Drake and Landon. She graduated from Braymer C-4 and attended EMT class through Grand River Technical School and has an associate degree in Health Care Management. She is involved with several community projects and looks forward to working with the rest of the command staff to keep advancing the department and community.

Lieutenant Aaron Minnick was promoted to captain. Minnick is a third generation firefighter; his grandfather and father helped form and organize Lock Springs Volunteer Fire Department. His father was fire chief of Lock Springs for many years and was even recognized by the governor as being the youngest fire chief in Missouri at that time. Minnick enjoyed the experience of hanging around his father's fire station and seeing him and many others help strangers and friends in times of need. His senior year of high school he completed EMT class. That was followed by two years of college and then Firefighter I and II and Paramedic training. During August of 1999 and 2000 he served with fellow firefighters with the Missouri State Fair Fire Department. In August 1999, he started as an EMT with several local EMS Services. Then in October of 1999, he started with Chillicothe Fire Department as a paid by call firefighter. In October of 2003, he was hired as a full-time firefighter/ paramedic and in April of 2009 was promoted to lieutenant. He has completed several fire service certifications and has been able to attend a number of courses to help advance his career. He has now been a career fireman for a little over 19 years. Minnick looks forward to seeing what the future holds for the department.

Firefighter Robert Williams was promoted to lieutenant. He has been a firefighter/paramedic with CFD for 11 years, bringing a total of 20 years public safety experience to the position. Rob serves as one of the departments certified inspectors and is a member of the instructor cadre as well as the department's investigator. Williams serves on the Board of Directors of The Professional Fire and Fraud Investigators Association. He has three children, Ty, Eli and Dakota, and is married to Shannon. Rob works to be a positive influence on younger firefighters and EMS providers as they will be the leaders of the fire service in the future.

Firefighter Derrick Allen was promoted to captain. He is a paramedic and has been with CFD for over nine years. His interest in the fire service began right after high school but starting that career was delayed due to military obligations. He currently serves as a First Sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard and has 19 years of service. Allen has completed multiple leadership schools and has been involved in some large-scale emergencies. Along with his new position as captain, he will be assisting the emergency management team for Livingston County. He is married to Beverly and has two children (Grady and Greta) with one more on the way. He has lived in Chillicothe the majority of his life. A few of his goals are to improve on the emergency management program for the community and to continue to gain knowledge of the Fire/EMS field. He looks forward to serving his community as a leader in the Chillicothe Fire Department.

All newly promoted firefighters are motivated and ready to tackle the challenges of being a leader. The Chillicothe Fire Department is in good hands and will continue to be a top tier service to its citizens and community.