BRATTLEBORO-Jay Symonds has taken on the job of Brattleboro Fire Department chief after being sworn in April 1.
"I know we're facing some challenges, but its my intent to be part of the solution to these challenges," the new chief said by phone on Monday, his first day on the ground.
The former lieutenant of the Manlius Fire Department in upstate New York said he found out about the job through Town Clerk Hilary Francis, his sister-in-law, but he has been actively looking to realize one of his career goals - to serve as a fire chief.
"Every time a job opens up, I look at the town, and the people, and I watched all the Selectboard meetings," he said.
When the job opened up with the retirement of Chief Leonard Howard last December, he did his homework here as well. "I really fell in love with Brattleboro," Symonds said. "We really want to be here and raise our family here."
The chief and his wife are looking for a house to buy. He has three daughters, ages 11, 18, and 21, and a 4-year-old son.
"It's important for us to be member of the community that I serve as chief," he said.
Although Monday was his first official day, Symonds has spent several days in town.
"Everyone I've talked to, from the state Department of Health to people in town, the greetings have been warm and welcoming," he said.
Overall, Symonds is excited to be here.
"I'm here to serve the community, and it's important to me that we provide a quick, professional, and accurate service to the community," said the self-described "problem-solver."
"As firefighters and EMS providers, we are providing a service of paramount importance to the public," he said in a press release announcing his appointment. "If a public concern arises, I will work with them to find a solution."
Casting a wider net
The town's public recruitment is something new for the Fire Department, which for decades has promoted its chiefs from within.
"We decided to post the job ad publicly to provide us the opportunity to review a variety of candidates for the position, similar to the process when we were searching for our new police chief in 2021," said the town's human resources director, Sally Cruz Nix.
The post was advertised from November to March, and 35 applications were received.
Symonds will earn Step 1 of the fire chief wage scale, which is $108,403.47 per year.
Assistant Chief Charles Keir III is in support of the new chief and "helping make his transition smooth and successful for all," said Cruz Nix.
In the news release, Keir said that with flooding fresh on the minds of Vermonters, Symonds' experiences in emergency management "will provide staff members with real-world examples as part of their ongoing training."
Chase Ibey, president of Brattleboro Professional Firefighters Association Local 4439, said the union "looks forward to working with Chief Symonds and continuing the growth of the Brattleboro Fire Department in providing the best service possible for our community."
Leadership roles, at home and abroad
Symonds' background includes working with government agencies, mediating challenges, and ensuring effective communication between multiple groups and organizations.
"Those are some of the skills I'll be bringing to Brattleboro as fire chief," he said.
"Chief Symonds has a track record that matches the excellence of the team at the Brattleboro Fire Department," said Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter in the announcement. "He's joining our community with decades of experience as a paramedic, firefighter, educator, and member of the National Guard."
Symonds previously served with the Manlius Fire Department in upstate New York as a lieutenant and public safety coordinator, overseeing staff EMS education and recertification.
Throughout his career, he has held various leadership roles, including five years as assistant fire chief of the Sherburne Fire Department, also in upstate New York.
His career in the fire service, which began in the mid-'90s, runs parallel with his service as an engineer in the New York Army National Guard.
Following his deployment to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011, Symonds was awarded a Bronze Star for excellence in leadership while in a combat zone. He has firsthand experience in disaster relief, including responding to major flooding events that have occurred throughout the past 20 years in New York State.
Symonds has since advanced to the rank of command sergeant major.
"I have substantial training in leadership, and interact with diverse government agencies and people," said Symonds of his work with the Army National Guard in the news release. "I've developed my leadership capabilities across numerous difficulties with strategic needs, whether it was through deploying to Afghanistan or providing emergency management for disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene.
"I have deployed overseas as an engineer and responded to several New York state natural disasters, including Superstorm Sandy, and Hurricane Irene," the new chief said. "During these state-of-emergency operations, I collaborated with a multi-agency unified command team that included all levels of government."
He also has more than 26 years' experience in emergency services as a firefighter paramedic, which cumulated in his last current position as a fire lieutenant.
Symonds also has a decade of experience as a commercial and residential contractor with supervisory responsibilities. He is enrolled as a B.S. candidate in emergency management at SUNY Canton.
He succeeds outgoing Fire Chief Leonard Howard III, who retired on Dec. 31, 2024. Howard joined the department in 1987, and was instrumental in leading the career staff to join the International Association of Fire Fighters and developing the Rental Housing Registry for rental inspections.
Howard most recently led the department through its transition to a municipal model for delivering emergency services.
A 'wonderful welcome'
Within the fire department, Symonds says he's received a wonderful welcome.
"I haven't gotten a lot of hard questions yet, but everybody's interested in what are some new ideas to solve some issues," he said. "On the fire department side, people are certainly interested in hearing about that. All of my interactions in the fire department have been phenomenal."
Symonds backs the move made in 2024 to have the department handle emergency medical services.
"I think that's a great thing for the department, and I fully support that," he said. "We're going to continue to polish that system and make it greater."
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.