Bettendorf officially has a new fire chief.
Troy Said was sworn into the office Tuesday night, Sept. 19, during the Bettendorf City Council meeting.
The council approved Chief Said’s appointment at its Sept. 5 council meeting.
“I am prepared through my years of experience and have solid knowledge and understanding of fire science and rescue,” said Chief Said in a recent news release. “I am dedicated to working alongside my team and have developed positive relationships through my hands-on leadership approach which has driven a culture of excellence.”
No stranger to the Bettendorf Fire Department, Chief Said was the assistant fire chief/fire marshal and is now responsible for running the daily operations of the department. He has placed priority on strengthening the talent of the department shifts by assessing staff members’ individual abilities and restructuring crews to ensure each shift has an optimal skill mix. He also advanced efforts for training and safety.
Chief Said is a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School and attended the University of Iowa. He started his career with Bettendorf Fire as a volunteer firefighter in 1992 and accepted a full-time professional position with the department in 1994. He served as a firefighter until he was promoted to lieutenant in 2015 and then became assistant fire chief/fire marshal in 2019.
“During the past few years, I have gained a greater appreciation of the value of collaboration with external organizations such as healthcare partners, private and public organizations, Scott County organizations, and regional fire and police departments,” said Chief Said. “The camaraderie with these organizations and others will only strengthen our ability to serve our community and keep our citizens safe.”
He takes over from Steve Knorrek, who retired on Sept. 8 after five years as chief and 40 years with Bettendorf Fire.
During a recent interview with the QCBJ, Mr. Knorrek offered this advice to the new chief: “To keep in contact with all the guys in the fire department. … Serve them and the citizens of Bettendorf.”
“‘I’ll miss the people. I’ll miss the job. … I won’t miss all the meetings, but they did bring people together,” Mr. Knorrek added.
The new chief will take over a fire department that has some 35 paid employees and about eight volunteers.
“Troy has had a very distinguished career under the tutelage of our last two fire chiefs,” said Bettendorf City Administrator Decker Ploehn. “I’m certain he’ll take Bettendorf Fire to the next level as our city grows and prospers.”
