GREENWICH - There are new faces in the upper-management ranks of the Greenwich Fire Department after a series of new promotions.

Deputy Fire Chief Brian Koczak was promoted to assistant fire chief in the department, which is the top administrative official. Koczak replaced Robert Kick, who recently retired from the post and attended the swearing-in ceremony held at fire headquarters Monday morning.

Koczak said the "satisfaction of public service" has been a motivator in his long career, one that began when he was a Boy Scout and visited his local firehouse. He later became a member of the Madison Fire Department, then joined the Greenwich Fire Department in 1997. In 2006, Koczak became a lieutenant in the department and then a deputy chief in 2010. A graduate of the University of New Haven, he also studied at the National Fire Academy. Koczak developed special expertise in computer software programs for the department.

"We're going to make a really good team," Koczak said after the promotions were carried out. The assistant chief is responsible for personnel issues, budgeting and planning, and there could be some operational duties, as well, he said.

Lt. Eric Maziarz was promoted to the position of deputy fire chief, filling the vacancy left by Koczak's promotion.

Maziarz joined the department in 2003 and became a lieutenant in 2015. He carried out the research and worked with the state Department of Transportation after a spike in traffic accidents was noted in 2018 on the Merritt Parkway in Greenwich. He then worked with the DOT on resurfacing the roadway to make it safer for motorists.

“I hope I can contribute in any way I can,” he said. “And it’s been a privilege to work alongside some of the best firefighters out there.”

The same year he joined the department, Maziarz suffered a knee injury and burns when he and two colleagues were forced to jump from a burning third-story building on Davis Avenue. Two new lieutenants were also given their new bars, Greg Sinapi and Mike Wilson. Wilson’s promotion went through in April, but the coronavirus pandemic prevented him from taking part in a swearing-in ceremony.

Wilson has special training in confined-space operations and trench rescues, and he is a certified hazardous-material technician. He joined the department in 2000, and his father and grandfather were firefighters in Connecticut.

Sinapi served as an officer with the Greenwich Police Department, from 2000 to 2005. He studied landscape architecture at the University of Rhode Island, and he is on the department’s scuba-diving team. Sinapi is also a state fire investigator.

“They’re going to serve this town admirably,” Fire Chief Joseph McHugh, who was himself sworn into the department’s top leadership position in late summer, said of the newly promoted officers.

First Selectman Fred Camillo told them “You have our thanks for the many years of service, and we look forward to many, many more.”https://www.greenwichtime.com/local/slideshow/Greenwich-Fire-Department-promotes-211633.php