'I'm here for the department'

NORWALK — Daniel L. Strayer was sworn in Monday morning as the new assistant chief for the Norwalk Fire Department. "I am very humbled and honored to be the first assistant chief of the department," Strayer said. "We have a really, really great group of guys. We're going to continue the proud existence of the department. "Really, really looking forward to this. I'm here for the department, the city and for the citizens of Norwalk, Ohio. I couldn't be happier. We are going to make an impact and I am looking forward to it." He was sworn in by Mayor Dave Light. He was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Sarah, daughter, Addison, and the couple's parents. Addison, 12, will be a seventh grader this fall at Margaretta. Their son, Zach, 26, is in Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. Strayer, a Castalia resident, has dedicated his life to fire service with more than 25 years of experience — 17 years in a supervisory/management role. Strayer most recently served as the assistant fire chief at Margaretta Township Fire Department. He is a State of Ohio Certified Professional Firefighter, State and Nationally Certified Paramedic, State Certified Fire Inspector, Certified Rescue Technician and is a Level IV Fire Officer. "There was a rigorous testing and evaluation process which yielded the top four candidates," Light said. "Mr. Strayer came out above all. I am confident in his ability to help lead the department. His vision will serve the department well. He will be a great asset and we are fortunate to have someone with Dan's caliber join the our team." Strayer is looking forward to the challenge. "As I move my career forward, I look forward to this new adventure with enthusiasm and a renewed sense of purpose. I will use this opportunity to embrace my potential and look forward to continuing the long and distinguished tradition and excellence of the Norwalk Fire Department. To accomplish this, I will rely on the fire chief, the members of the department, the citizens of Norwalk and the city administration to move the department toward the future." Fire Chief Ron Luttrell welcomes Strayer and what he can bring to the department. "The assistant chief will be assigned to supervise and/or assist in several areas of the department," Luttrell said. "He will oversee daily operations of the department; including the fire prevention bureau activities, fire department training and will assume an administrative role within the fire department. "With his extensive training and experience, Assistant Chief Strayer will be a welcomed and valued resource to assist incident response mitigation and incident scene management. We welcome Assistant Chief Strayer onto our team and into our department." "It's been a long time coming. We started this process back in 2019," Light said. "He operates from a common-sense platform. He's an easy guy to talk to."