By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Last Friday morning, Douglas Matthijetz took his oath of office as the City of Copperas Cove Fire Chief.
A pinning ceremony was held at the City Council Chambers, which was open to the public and also attended by a number of city staff and city officials.
City Manager Ryan Haverlah thanked the city’s Assistant City Manager, Police Chief Eddie Wilson in particular for his role in selecting Matthijetz.
“He has taken the role of really organizing and coordinating and setting up the entire schedule for our interview process and selection process for our fire chief, and it went very, very well,” said Haverlah. He also thanked Dave Bailey, who served as interim fire chief, who has been on the job since last fall after the retirement of former chief Gary Young.
Chief Wilson shared about Chief Matthijetz’ years of experience, education, and training.
Prior to coming to Copperas Cove, he served as the Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Corpus Christi, where he was responsible for overseeing complex fires and EMS operations in a large, diverse and high demand environment, Wilson said.
“Throughout his career, Chief Matthijetz has demonstrated strong focus on professional standards, fire safety and accountability,” Wilson added.
One of the many qualities I've learned about Chief Matthijetz Is, he understands that the fire department's strength and success is deeply rooted in its people. He's shown a commitment to development, developing leaders at entry level, supporting training and education and fostering a culture of trust, service and pride in the profession.
“Today's badge painting is more than just a ceremonial tradition. It's a symbol of trust, responsibility and service to this community as chief Mathew receives his badge.
Wilson said he also thought it was important to recognize the most important person in the room – Matthijetz’ wife.
“We all know that Chief Matthijetz is walking into a profession that he's already been a big part of throughout his life, that is high demand, demands a lot of time, demands holidays and demands things taken away from your family. This decision doesn't happen without the support of his wife. So thank you for sharing Chief Matthijetz.”
After Matthijetz was sworn in, he said a few words.
"I look forward to the all the potential possibilities that are out there, the opportunities to serve in this community in the years to come. I look forward to meeting with and working with all the members of the fire department, men and women who are out there on the street, working with them to make this City push forward as it continues to grow,” said Matthijetz.
“As fire chief, you know, it's my responsibility to make sure that the public is safe and to ensure that members of the men and women of the fire department are taken care of. My goal in doing so is to show compassion and to show integrity, to work for those in the community who are expecting us to show up on their worst day, and to make sure that the men and women with the Copperas Cove Fire Department are trained in highly providing high quality service, professional service to the citizens who are counting on us.”
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