(11:45 A.M. Time Certain) Confirmation of Fire Chief – Ryan Guynn – Annual Salary of $175,000.00

1:55:22It is also time certain, so it's right time.

1:55:45Mr. Murphy. Good afternoon.

1:55:48How much are you going to have to keep this?

1:55:53Board, it's an honor to be here today. I am gonna call uh John Michael up, uh president of the fire union. And I think it's uh appropriate. This will be his last meeting. He's moving on. Uh and I know he has fought valiantly for the last ten years for the men and women of this fire department. And I'd like the uh members here to give him a round of applause for everything he's done and his support of you.

1:56:29There are so many benefits that he fought for and as we stand here today to honor uh and appoint Chief Gwen, I think it's appropriate that uh you know I point out that everything he's fought for and he's gonna s uh speak after after I'm done but uh You know, so thank you for allowing me that. Good morning. As you know, my name is JJ Murphy. I'm this is the County Administrator for Public Safety. Today I'm excited to present Ryan Gwynn for consideration and confirmation of the Pasco

1:56:59County Fire Chief. Chief Gwynne is a 25-year veteran of the fire service, of which 20 years have been with Pasco County Fire Rescue. Prior to coming to Pasco County, Chief Gwynn worked nearly five years. with Dade City City Fire Department, which as you know merged with Pasco County Fire in 2023. Twenty oh three. Chief Gwynne is a highly motivated professional individual who has progressed internally through our organization and experienced in nearly every

1:57:29rank. Chief Gwynn is well respected and trusted amongst his peers and is known to be a proven leader. Chief Gwynne is task-oriented and extremely organized. Most recently, Chief Gwyn has worked as the interim fire chief where I've personally witnessed his ability to effectively manage a large team of professionals. To solidify this, Chiquin was at the helm. while the entire fire rescue team worked diligently and tirelessly to effectively effectively respond

1:58:00to two major hurricanes where more than twelve hundred citizens were rescued in less than a month. I realize that Chief Gwynne could not have done this on his own, but I personally witnessed the trust and respect of the entire fire rescue team who all came together during these trying times and worked tirelessly to meet the needs of Pasco County citizens. They are sworn to protect and save. Previously, Chief Gwynn held the ranks of Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Division

1:58:31Chief, Captain, Driver Engineer, and Firefighter Paramedic. Chief Gwynn holds a master's degree in public administration, a bachelor's degree in fire administration, both of which he graduated Summa Com Laudi. Chief Gwynne holds multi multiple certifications and designations that make him well prepared for the honor of being our next fire chief. Today Chief Gwynn is joined by his parents, his wife Stephanie. and his three children. all of

1:59:01whom fully support his commitment to become the next Fire Chief of Pasco County. It is because of the aforementioned that I, without reservation, graciously request your consideration to confirm Ryan Gwynn as an ex fire chief of Pasco County. And I will let John Michael say his A couple words. Keep it couple.

1:59:26Once again, I'm honored to stand before you representing Pasco firefighters. To some degree today is bittersweet, as this is likely the last time I will have the opportunity to address the board from this position. My term expires at the end of December. And I have chosen not to seek reelection, to spend more time focused on my personal life and to provide the opportunity for a new generation of leaders to step forward. For the better part of the last twelve years, I have served in an elected position representing Union firefighters

1:59:56in Pasco County, the last six as the president. During that time, by working together, we have propelled the agency forward and have become leaders in all aspects of the fire service community. There are undoubtedly a lot of things to be proud of as a Pasco firefighter. As you well know, we lead in the areas of occupational health and decontamination. Mental and physical health, and our workload stress reduction initiative transitioning to an industry-leading 2472 work schedule. We

2:00:27fostered a proper work-life balance and very competitive employment practices. We cultivate professionalism in every aspect of our service delivery and provide top-notch fire and emergency medical services to the residents and visitors of Pasco County. Today, you all are all once again presented with an opportunity to make an incredible impact on the professional lives of your firefighters. There is no better choice. And by confirming Chief Ryan Gwen as the new fire chief, you will once again demonstrate your commitment to

2:00:57the county's core values of respect, integrity, and respect. innovation and service excellence. Chief Gwen is widely respected by his peers and subordinates alike. His rise through the ranks is a testament to his dedication to this agency and its more than eight hundred employees. He certainly possesses the experience, the credentials, and the education to lead us into the future, but most importantly, he understands the needs, the motivations, and the goals of the workforce because he was with us through the difficult

2:01:28times. He fought and struggled right beside us, and this perspective will guide him through finding the perfect balance of fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency, and protecting the well-being of the firefighters he commands. He values a positive relationship with labor and the limitless possibilities of a house united. He understands our unique culture and the things that make our department better than the rest. As I step aside, there is no greater accomplishment than to have brought us to this moment. with all

2:01:58that we have accomplished together to witness the confirmation of Chief Ryan Gwynne. He is a family man. He is a man of humility and kindness. He is strong and an effective leader. He is genuinely a good and decent human being, that cares deeply for the community is and its firefighters. We are proud to call him our brother and our friend, but we are most proud to call him the new Fire Chief of Pasco County Fire Rescue.

2:02:32I won't belabor the point, but I'd like to add to that uh JJ and I often talked about how our next fire chief was going to be an internal hire. So Brian, um well done. I think uh you know you've you've set the stage and shown that a career path is is absolutely possible through the agency. And and I've been observing you since even when I was an interim county administrator, starting with Ian in that in that activation when when that came forward. And it was very evident to me and evident to me now through this current activation how you are a

2:03:02true servant leader and you embody that humility and that of leadership that I think we need to carry this agency forward. So I just thank you for that and encourage the board to please confirm Chief Quinn in this role. I think he will do a fantastic job for us. Thank you.

2:03:19No

2:03:20approval. Second. Got a motion and second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passed 5-0. Welcome.

2:03:39Um, thank you to everybody, the board, Mr Cabala, Murphy, Sir Michael. Um, especially my wife. She's my motivator, so um I get choked up pretty easily. Kind of humble and you know I'm I'm not here because of anything that I did special. I'm here because I wanted to be here to support the men and women that are wearing this uniform around me. This fire department is what it is because of these men and women right here and of course the other 800 that are out doing what

2:04:09they're doing today right now. We're We are Florida's Premier Fire Department. We're recognized nationally for what we do. We get phone calls weekly, emails every other week. Rabar County, Miami-Dade County, Jacksonville, Texas, Indianapolis, California, they're all calling, wanting to know why we're doing what we're doing. And the reason we're doing it is just because of these guys here, these men and women here. They're fantastic, they're committed, they

2:04:39love their job, they love this department, they love the citizens that they serve, and they have put their blood, sweat, and tears into making this department what it is today. And I'm just honored to be here, standing beside all of them at the front of this department. And we're going to keep pushing forward and I just I'm I'm blessed for the opportunity. I thank you all for it.

2:05:01Let's see.

2:05:11Mr. Waiton. Thank you, Chair.

2:05:14Well, I'm glad you said yes, Chief. And John Michael, I'm glad you kept it brief. Um, no, congratulations to you and your family. Thank you and your family generationally for your service to Pasco County. You know, it it's special When you grow up in a place and you work from the bottom all the way to the top, and you have an opportunity to get to lead a place that

2:05:42You're not ever going to leave from. No matter what you plan on raising your family here. Hopefully they have another generation here, that this board creates an environment that your kids can go to school and they can come back or do whatever they do. But if they want to choose to live and work in Pasco and live a good life that we we help lead this county, you know, for that opportunity to come for that next generation. And Chief, I'm I have all the confidence in the world in you that you're gonna do that. for not just your family. But for the future

2:06:12generations of firefighters and paramedics here in this county. And I I see across there some of the the old timers and then the newer guys uh across the line. So Chief, thanks for hanging tough. Thank you for your commitment to Pasco County and uh this being a fantastic example of how to do the job. Congratulations.

2:06:31Thank you,

2:06:32Commissioner.

2:06:32Mr.

2:06:32Burke? So congratulations and um I love hearing about the accolades that you all get. Uh no doubt it's a big job. And we have we you know, it's one of the busiest fire departments in what, the state or I don't know, the country. Um It's a really big job, so I know that you're up for it. I look forward to working alongside you again. Um, I enjoyed our time working on When we were out working on the uh disaster out there on the west side.

2:07:03So I know you're gonna do wonderful and congratulations to you and your family and the department.

2:07:10Well, I think if you you stepped in, you didn't Brave one hurricane, you brave two hurricanes. So uh Yeah, everybody did a great job. Um I love your story of how you grew up and how, you know, your dad was a fire chief also. Um maybe one of you little guys or your daughter wanna be in fire too. It's just a cool story, but congratulations. I you already did amazing through the storm and I I know you will um lead Pasco Fire. So

2:07:40great job. Thanks.

2:07:42Thank you. Mr. Mariano?

2:07:43Thank you. Chief Gwynn, congratulations. Um your career's been amazing. It's I'm I'm so glad that it's grown here and you're you're graduating to the top spot. Uh it's a it's uh it's incredible to be able to see that happen. It's it's something we we we wanted to to see happen to with the whole thing. So everybody in this whole industry knows that you have potential to grow and get stronger and and go and and get the f to get the position like you did. It's it's phenomenal. Uh I wanna thank all the firefighters. Your leadership

2:08:14saving all those rescues. I mean saving lives through these stor the storm that just we went through was like phenomenal. Uh when JG was telling us a story, it was um just just amazing to hear it. So wish you all the best in the world. You leave and a great team here and look for better things in the future too.

2:08:30Thank you.

2:08:32Well it's uh left up to me and he lives I hate teller but he lives in District One.

2:08:40And has for a while, so but uh and we're the largest district and we got more things happening than about.

2:08:48We knew that was coming.

2:08:50Y'all get tired of hearing me say that but let's talk about the T D P kind of a distance. Each and every one of you from the top to the bottom, from bottom to the top. Y'all have some of the greatest brotherhood that any organization ever seen in my life. And y'all work together, live together, do the right things together for the past citizens of Pasco County. And for that, I thank you. And for that I thank you for your service that you've put in the past and your service in the future

2:09:21for the citizens of Pasco County. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman. Yes. Okay.

2:09:27I had an idea. What if they all came up here that has been a little bit more than a little bit of a

2:09:30Well I got a better idea. I have a better idea. We're gonna go outside by a new white white. fire truck which I'd never seen before, but it's a fifty year anniversary fire truck. We're gonna go we're gonna take a break from here and go out Actually I think you should hear our S. You can read the resolution. She'll read the resolution and we'll go outside. And we'll actually break at that point we'll after the picture we'll break for lunch. We'll be back here to reconvene at 1.30

2:10:01for public comment. All right.