Finalists selected for Clifton Fire Chief

Nick Koziara
·2 min read

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Clifton Fire Protection District has narrowed its search for a new Fire Chief to just three candidates.

Three candidates remain after the national search:

  • Deputy Fire Chief Brady Austin of the Idaho National Laboratory Fire Department

  • Battalion Chief Brian Cherveny of the Grand Junction Fire Department

  • Battalion Chief Gregory Lindsay of the Oklahoma City Fire Department

Community members will have a chance to meet with the candidates from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

We are thrilled with the professionalism and experience of the three finalists, and we look forward to community interaction and feedback from Wednesday’s event.

Interim Chief Chris Angermuller

Clifton Fire Protection Unit provided brief summaries of each of the three candidates:

  • Candidate 1: Brady Austin has over 31 years of fire service experience. He has been Deputy Chief for the Idaho National Laboratory Fire Department since 2022 and has been with the department since 1998, beginning as a Firefighter and serving in positions including Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Chief before becoming Deputy Chief. Mr. Austin’s experience in Idaho also includes serving as a part-time and volunteer Firefighter/EMT and Assistant Chief for the Greater Swan Valley Fire Protection District #2, and a paid on-call Firefighter/EMT and HAZMAT Division Chief for the Central Fire District. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Service Administration from Idaho State University.

  • Candidate 2: Brian Cherveny has over 30 years of fire/EMS experience. He has been Battalion Chief since 2019 for the Grand Junction Fire Department in Colorado and started with the department in 2006 as a Firefighter/Paramedic. Prior to that and concurrently while at the Grand Junction Fire Department, Mr. Cherveny served as the Fire Chief/EMS Coordinator for the Lands End Fire Protection District in Colorado from 2002-2010. He is an RN and served in a number of capacities at St. Mary’s Hospital in Colorado from 1989-2006. He has an associate degree in Nursing from Mesa State College and is nearing completion of a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration.

  • Candidate 3:

  • Gregory Lindsay has over 39 years of fire service experience. He has been with the Oklahoma City Fire Department in Oklahoma starting in 1984, working his way up through the ranks, and has been Battalion Chief since 2002. He has also been a charter member and Subject Matter Expert for the International Association of Fire Chiefs Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System, a web-based all-hazards reporting system that shares real-life case studies, from 2005-2022. Mr. Lindsay has a Master of Public Administration degree, with an emphasis on budgeting and financial management, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, both from the University of Oklahoma.

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