That's So Cincinnati: Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington

Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington is always dismayed when he's driving and sees cars pass by with children not properly restrained. He's seen plenty of accidents during his 32 years as a firefighter.

Now that he's fire chief − Washington was appointed to the job in May of 2021 − Washington decided to do something about it. He set up a program in which parents can visit a firehouse once a week and get help from two specially trained firefighters in properly installing a car seat.

"We have young people under the age of five (in Cincinnati) that we weren't really paying too much attention to," Washington said. "And I said, you know what, we should be doing this. We're in the community risk reduction business and they're part of our constituency."

Washington sat down with The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast this week to talk about his 18 months on the job and what's next. He hinted at retirement from his $178,000-a-year job fairly soon.

Washington is far from the bureaucrat-type of chief who sits in his office. Washington keeps full gear in his trunk and is known to roll up to fires in "Car One," as his work vehicle is called. If he's in town, he's listening to the scanner.

The other new initiative he is overseeing is a bit wonkier, but critical to firefighting: attaching a GPS system to fire dispatches that alerts the nearest fire truck, not necessarily the nearest fire station. Every second is critical when it comes to firefighting., he said.

Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington nearing mandatory retirement

Washington said the job is everything he ever wanted, but it's almost time for retirement. He's part of a mandatory retirement program. He declined to say exactly when he's due to retire. Most of his 1993 recruit class already has already retired.

He didn't rule out it happening during the current administration's four-year term. City Manager Sheryl Long is in the midst of choosing a new police chief.

"We're having fun right now," Washington said. "I'm still enjoying the job. But you do have people that call and ask questions about what your intentions are."

Listen to The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast on Apple, iHeart or your favorite podcast platform.

How to find help installing a car seat

Go to https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/fire/, then click on the Inspection and Report Request Tab and scroll down.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington making changes