Post welcomes new fire chief

Fort Leavenworth’s new fire chief, Bill Maciorowski, has been interested in firefighting since he was a 16-year-old high school junior and volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Avoca, Pa.

“I was involved with the Boy Scouts at the time,” he recalled in his office Nov. 25 at Fire Station No. 2. “There were Scout leaders with the fire department so we got involved with them. That’s what sparked my interest. Then I found out I could get paid by the Air Force to do the same job, so I joined the Air Force as a firefighter.”

He ended up staying 20 years with the Air Force — 12 years as a military firefighter and eight years as an Air Force civilian firefighter.

Now, at 46, his 30-year stint in firefighting remains his passion. Before coming to Fort Leavenworth last week, Maciorowski served for three years as the deputy fire chief at Fort Lee, Va. Before that, he was the assistant fire chief at Fort Drum, N.Y.

“It’s not just a job,” he said of firefighting. “It requires constant training and dedication to the job. Once you’re hooked on it, it generally becomes a lifelong career and passion. We had a reunion last year with supervisors and they asked me if I was still as gung-ho as I was when I was a young airman. And I said, ‘Yes, I still am.’ I’m very passionate about fire service.”

As chief, Maciorowski will lead 51 Fort Leavenworth firefighters. His job will be to make sure he takes care of them by ensuring that they have the proper tools, equipment and trucks to do their jobs safely, he said.

“They get along very well,” he said. “They have a lot of pride in the organization and pride in the installation.”

Maciorowski, who said he loves the historical setting of Fort Leavenworth, is not new to the post. He attended the Civilian Education System’s Basic Course at the Army Management Staff College two years ago.

“I was out here and able to check out the area out here,” he said. “I like the area and the Kansas City area.”

He said he would take a couple months to learn the policies and procedures at the department. He is impressed with what he has learned so far.

“I’m just excited to be here,” he said. “There’s a great team of people here in this fire department. I’m just happy to be part of their team and am looking forward to continuing my career here.”

He praised Assistant Chief of Operations Bruce Davis for filling in as interim fire chief since this summer, when former Fire Chief J.T. Adair retired.

“Since July, he’s been running the show here and has done a fantastic job of holding down the fort until I could get here,” Maciorowski said. “He’s been a tremendous help to me and the department.”

For his part, Davis said Maciorowski would bring a new perspective to the department.

“I think it will be a good thing for someone from the outside coming in with a fresh set of eyes to see how to do things and then improve going forward,” he said.