Jeff VanderWiere, a Michigan public safety leader, has been named the next chief of the Davenport Fire Department.
Mr. VanderWiere succeeds DFD Chief Mike Carlsten, who announced earlier this year he would retire after 32 years of service with the City of Davenport.
The new chief will be sworn in at the Davenport City Council Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5. A public open house for the public to meet the new chief will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Fire Station 3, 300 E. 42nd St.
Mr. VanderWiere has more than 29 years of fire/EMS/emergency management experience with a solid foundation in budgeting, strategic planning, project management, and policy development. He has worked for the Portage Department of Public Safety in Portage, Michigan, since 2020, serving as the deputy director of public safety, deputy fire chief and division chief-fire marshal. Prior to that, he served from 1996-2020 with the Department of Public Safety in Kalamazoo, Michigan, holding the ranks of assistant chief, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, and public safety officer.
“I am deeply honored and privileged to be named the next fire chief for the City of Davenport,” Mr. VanderWiere said in a news release from the city on Wednesday, Sept. 17. “This is a tremendous responsibility, and I’m committed to leading with integrity and a clear focus on putting the community first.”
As fire chief, he will oversee the department of 135 sworn personnel and two civilians. The department currently staffs eight engine companies and three truck companies, which respond from seven stations throughout the city.
“I look forward to building on the department’s strong legacy of service by strengthening community partnerships and, most importantly, championing our firefighters – ensuring they
have the tools, training, and support they need to serve with excellence,” Mr. VanderWiere said. “Together, we will continue delivering the highest standard of protection and service to the people of Davenport.”
“I am extremely pleased to get a candidate of Jeff’s caliber to join our team,” Davenport City Administrator Doug Maxeiner said in the release. “We were looking for a chief with a collaborative leadership style who has a desire to communicate both within his or her department and the organization while also dedicated to building future leaders from within the department. I think we hit it out of the park on all three points with Chief VanderWiere. This is an important hire for the City of Davenport and for the Davenport Fire Department, and I couldn’t be happier to welcome Jeff onboard.”
Mr. VanderWiere holds a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University and is certified as an Executive Fire Officer through the National Fire Academy.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he earned four Chiefs Awards of Merit from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. In his current role at Portage, he manages seven direct reports, 120+ indirect reports, a $16.5 million operating budget and a $10 million capital budget.
The Davenport Fire Department is proud to be one of only 311 accredited agencies through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). The Department’s current Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating is a Class 2/2X, putting DFD in the top 5% of departments nationwide.
