CALDWELL, Idaho — The City of Caldwell announced Richard "Rick" Frawley as the city's new Fire Chief Tuesday.
After 40 years of service, former Caldwell Fire Chief Mark Wendelsdorf announced his retirement in September of 2021.
The position was vacant until Tuesday and Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner said he prioritized finding the right Fire Chief after taking office in January.
“The Fire Chief position has been vacant since September 2021 and it was important for me to get this position filled with the best possible candidate," Wagoner said. "I knew coming into the Mayor role, this was going to be one of the toughest decisions I would need to make. Ultimately the interview board gave me the top applicants and Rick came out on top. As I got to know him more I was able to see why the board chose him as the top candidate and I have every confidence that he will be the right man for the job and be able to lead our fire department into the future and be able to serve our citizens well."
Frawley comes to Caldwell with over 25 years of experience in fire services. The City of Caldwell said Frawley is a taskforce leader, helps with urban search and rescue teams and wild-land support.
Prior to the Gem State, Frawley served as the City of Milpitas' Deputy Fire Chief from 1998 to December of 2021 in California. Frawley was also the Milpitas Fire Department's acting Fire Chief for 11 months in 2018.
According to the City of Caldwell's announcement Tuesday, Frawley helped in getting the City of Milpitas a new fire station built during his 23 years of service to the community.
“I am very excited to join the Caldwell Fire family and serve this great community," Frawley said. "I look forward to continuing a strong tradition of service to the community while we guide the organization through future growth. My wife and I are excited to be relocating near family in the area. My key goals and vision for the organization are for emergency service enhancements for the community and firefighter development and wellness."
Frawley and his wife are big baseball fans and dog lovers. Caldwell's announcement said Frawley has been with his wife for 23 years and they have owned bull terriers for 20 years.
The Frawley's have have participated in dog shows from Texas to the entire West Coast.
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