Grafton picks Glastonbury’s Thurz as new fire chief

Michael Thurz, fire chief for Glastonbury, Connecticut, was picked as Grafton’s first full-time fire chief by the Select Board.

Thurz, who will replace retiring Fire Chief Mickey Gauthier, came out on top over two candidates, Chief Robert Valentine of Groveland and Chief Jeffrey Legendre of Bolton.

“I think the Grafton Fire Department needs professional management and Chief Thurz can do it,” Select Board member Ray Mead said.

Contract negotiations will be forthcoming, but there was one concern raised by some Select Board members: Thurz, wrapping up his interview, said he wanted to meet with members of the department, as well as Gauthier, to get their views on the department before proceeding.

Thurz has been a member of the Glastonbury Fire Department since 1985, rising to fire chief in 2010. He oversees a paid on-call department with 110 members and four stations, covering 52 square miles. He is an adjunct fire instructor at both the Connecticut Fire Academy and the Eastern Connecticut Fire School, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Anselm’s College and a masters in business administration from the University of Hartford.

“I have a passion for fire service,” he told the board. “It’s not a 9 to 5 job. It’s 24 hours, 365 days a year.”

Thurz spoke strongly about making sure everyone in the department works together as a team, rather than focusing solely on teamwork within each individual station. He believes he needs to listen to firefighters when they bring up problems — and wants to make sure that with the problems, they also offer solutions.

Recruitment is always important for an on-call department, and the best way to integrate new firefighters — and keep them — is to make sure there is a strong mentorship program, Thurz said.

While Thurz was initially scored as the top candidate by three of the five Select Board members, Valentine, who spent most of his career in Rhode Island, was a strong second. Legendre, who was visibly nervous through most of the interview, wasn’t seen as the right candidate for Grafton at this stage.

The Select Board universally agreed that Thurz had a strong command presence, was the most likely to move into the role and find solutions without being asked, and would be hands-on rather than simply sit behind a desk.

Gauthier will be retiring in December after 48 years on the Grafton Fire Department, long enough to bring the new chief up to speed.

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