04-12-2007 Mayor Luecke names Howard Buchanon as Fire Chief

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Buchanon's experience includes serving as the liaison between the fire department and the 911 Communications center, as a member of the Mayor's Neighborhood Task Force that addresses priority concerns and to oversee construction of the Central Fire Station and the new Fire Station No. 2, expected to be complete in July. Taylor described Buchanon's current responsibilities as vital preparation for serving as chief. "Howard's ability to work with the public has been proven, whether in building construction, in an inspection with issues that need to be resolved, or in the eyes of the public," Taylor said. "If there is anything that needs to be looked at carefully, he's good at that." Buchanon said he never thought he'd be in the position to be considered as fire chief, but followed up on the advice of mentors like Jack Reed, former assistant to the mayor and 28-year veteran of the fire department, to always be prepared. "Whether I got it or not, it was an honor just being at the level where I'd be considered," Buchanon said. Buchanon admitted he has "a tremendous act to follow" after Chief Taylor. "My biggest challenge will be to try to keep ... the department at the level it's at right now,"he said. "I'll have some key people that I have to have around me, because that's what made him successful." With one existing vacancy at battalion chief, two assistant chief retirements in July and a third created by his appointment, Buchanon will have the opportunity to build a new generation of fire department leadership. "The No. 1 thing is building a good working relationship with the firefighters, particularly with Local 362," Taylor said. "Working together, we can accomplish so many things. ... It's very important they understand you, and you understand them and have confidence in one another." Luecke, Buchanon and Taylor each pointed to plans for a seven-county fire safety training facility on 50 acres near the South Bend Regional Airport as a place where Buchanon can begin to craft a new legacy. "South Bend has been in the lead position in putting together the proposal," Luecke said. "We need to work on driving that forward, but we also need to work on getting participation ... to see if there's support for a joint effort to be able to fast-track this." "We need that for our city, for our firefighters, for the county and not just for us, but for the whole region," said Buchanon, who sees safety and training as a key focus of his leadership as chief.