Five firefighters took the oath Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Greenwich public safety complex, adding experienced hands to a department that faced staffing shortages in early 2025.

Fire Chief Joseph McHugh introduced each recruit before First Selectman Fred Camillo, serving in his role as fire commissioner, administered the oath individually, according to Greenwich Free Press. The Greenwich Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the ceremony.

All five have prior firefighting experience:

  • Joshua Carden served with the South Fulton Fire Department in Georgia.
  • Brinton Beard served with the Sedalia Fire Department in Missouri.
  • Ethan McAllister served with Glynn County Fire Rescue in Georgia.
  • Brandon Wood worked as a wildland firefighter on the CT Interstate Fire Crew after a career in private manufacturing.
  • Kevin Bonkoski served as a firefighter with the Department of Veterans Affairs and with the Grand Central Fire Brigade.

Wood's father, Bill Wood, a retired lieutenant with the Stamford Fire Department, attended the ceremony. Carden was joined by his fiancée, Wei Zhu, and Bonkoski by his wife, Christen.

The hires come as the department works to rebuild its ranks. In March 2025, Assistant Chief Charles Lubowicki told Greenwich Time that the department was battling a personnel shortage driven by injuries and retirements, with the Board of Estimate and Taxation approving roughly $600,000 in additional overtime funding at its Feb. 24, 2025, meeting.

"The last hiring list that we had, we roughly had 65 people on that list and just to get 15 people to go to the academy, we extended that whole list with people turning down the job or them getting hired and going to another department, because they liked the benefits of that department better," Lubowicki said in that March 2025 interview.

Town officials at Thursday's ceremony included Selectwomen Lauren Rabin and Rachel Khanna and State Reps. Steve Meskers (D-150) and Hector Arzeno (D-151). GFD command staff in attendance included Assistant Fire Chiefs Tom Lenart, Keith Millette, Shawn Morris, Erik Maziarz and Matt Brooks, along with Deputy Chief of Training Ryan Brainerd.

The Greenwich Fire Department is a combination paid and volunteer department staffing six engine companies and one truck company. The town posted a firefighter job listing in February 2026 with a salary range of $68,042 to $93,270 annually.