CITY OF OLMSTED FALLS MAYOR ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW FIRE CHIEF

Olmsted Falls Mayor James Graven announces the appointment of Matthew Sheehan as Olmsted Falls Fire Chief.  Sheehan had a successful 33 years of service with the Cleveland Fire Department. He began his career in 1981, and he worked on rescue squads throughout the city retiring as a Lieutenant. 

Chief Sheehan has both structural firefighting and paramedic experience. Chief Sheehan has a reputation for strong leadership and an even temperament. After retiring from the Cleveland Fire Department, he was the EMS/Emergency Preparedness Management Coordinator at UH St. John Medical Center. He was also an EMS/Paramedic Instructor at Cuyahoga Community College.  Chief Sheehan’s firefighting and paramedic skills will benefit our city as we continue to maintain excellent firefighting and EMS service for our citizens.

Chief Sheehan started his new position Monday, April 29, 2019.

His experience includes commercial building fires, rescue equipment proficiency, heavy rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue operations, swift water rescue operations, scuba diving, firefighting technique expertise, and fire command center management.

Mayor Graven stated “I am extremely pleased that our civil service process generated such significant interest from a wide range of candidates. Matt will bring his professional experience and expertise to Olmsted Falls, and I trust he will be a strong leader for our fire department.”

Chief Sheehan was one of 13 individuals that participated in the competitive civil service fire chief exam where he finished in the top three. Olmsted Falls Civil Service rules state that the fire and police chiefs must take a competitive exam, and the Mayor selects an individual from the top three scores. Chief Sheehan will take over from Acting Chief Robert Arida who by Charter was appointed on January 7^th to serve for up to 120 days in an acting capacity.