Hamden Mayor Curt Leng announced Friday afternoon that Deputy Fire Chief Gary Merwede will assume the role of Acting Fire Chief.
This comes after former Chief David Berardesca announced his retirement from the town back in late September.
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Merwede has served a firefighter in Hamden since 1994. He began his role as Deputy Chief in 2014, where he also served as the department’s Public Information Officer. He started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1987, before transitioning his career to Firefighter and EMT roles.
Merwede holds several emergency certifications from the State of Connecticut, US Fire Administration, and FEMA.
“His experience and expertise in the field of emergency response and management is particularly extensive and well suited for the needs of Hamden’s constituents”, Mayor Leng said in a statement.
Merwede’s promotion takes effect immediately.
